■■iiitiiiaiiiiiaiiiiiiiuininiiiniiiaiiiiiniiaisaii 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

University  of  California. 

GIFT    OF 

Class  '     - 


Memories 

of 

Brown 


The  Clock  Tower 

Erected  by  Count  Paul  Bajnotti  of  Turin.  Italy,  in  Memory  of  his  Wife, 

Carrie  Mathilda  Brown 


MEMORIES 

OF 

BROWN 

TRADITIONS    AND    RECOLLECTIONS 

GATHERED 

FROM    MANY    SOURCES 


EDITORS 

ROBERT  PERKINS  BROWN,   1871 

HENRY  ROBINSON  PALMER,    1890 

HARRY  LYMAN   KOOPMAN,   Librarian 

CLARENCE  SAUNDERS  BRIGHAM,    1899 


PROVIDENCE,   RHODE   ISLAND 
BROWN   ALUMNI    iMAGAZINE  COMPANY 

1909 


V 


^ 


b 


3 


n 


Copyright,  1909 

J  By  the 

N  Alumni  Magazine  Company 


mNTINQ 
COMPANY 

.    ^Kovl^EMce 


UNIVERSITY 

OF 
^LIFORN^ 


CONTENTS 


Commencement  in  the  Olden  Time  "  Old  Citizen  "  in  Prin'idciiic 
Journal.  July  2,  iH^r         .  ...... 

Life  at  Rhode  Island  College  in  the  Eighteenth  Century  T.  F. 
Green        .......... 


idence  Journal.  July  /,  iH^i 

S.,  B.  Shaw 

I.  M.  Barton 

.  Laura  E.  Richards 

G.  B.  Peck 

Literary  Cadet.  Sept. 


M> 


1627 


Exhibitions  in  the  Old  Town  House  Pro 
College  and  Town  in  18 19  . 
Horace  Mann,  1819     . 
Samuel  Gridley  Howe,  182  i 
College  Pranks  in  the  Early  Twenties 
High  Old  Times  at  Commencement  in 
<?.  182J     .... 

Essay  Burning  in  183 1 
The  "Tallow  Candle  Illumination" 
Memories  of  1832-36  . 
In  the  Days  of  Wayland  and  Elton 
The  Cloistered  Life  of  the  Early  Forties 
George  William  Curtis's  Memories  of  Brown 
In  College  with  "  Sunset  "  Cox     . 
When  President  Angell  was  a  Student. 
Riding  a  Professor  "  Pickaback  "' 
Dr.  Boardman's  Recollections  of  President  Wayland  G.  D.  Board- 
man  ..... 
President  Magill's  Memories  of  Brown 
Student  Pranks  in  the  Fifties 
A  Flagrant  Failing       .... 
Painting  the  President's  Horse     . 
The  Story  of  Dr.  Wayland 's  Cow 
Garbs  and  Customs  of  Half  a  Century  Ago 
The  Faculty  in  the  Fifties    . 
More  About  the  Faculty  in  the  Fifties  . 
Junior  Burials,  1853-59 
The  College  Water  Supply  in  the  Fifties 
John  Hay  as  a  Parodist  of  Emerson     . 


,Mrs.  Susan  B.  Ely 

J.  P.  Dunwell 

W.  L.  Brown 

C.  T.  Congdon 

Albert  Harkness 

G.   IV.  Curtis 

J.  B.  Angell 
JV.  B.   IVeeden 


E.  H.  Magill 
W.  S.  Granger 
IV.  H.  Pabodie 

J.  L..  Denison 
IV.  LI.  Stewart 

E.  H.  Cutler 

Satnuel  Thurher 
S.  IV.  Abbott 
S.  IV.  Abbott 
S.  IV.  Abbott 


35 
38 
41 

43 
46 

49 

53 
55 
57 
61 
68 
69 
77 
83 
93 

94 
96 
102 
107 
108 
1 1 1 

"3 
117 

1 2  I 

•25 

133 

135 


197809 


M, 


emories  Oi 


B 


rown 


A  "  Smoking-Out  "  in  1856  . 

The  Duel  —  In  Three  Chapters 

John  Hay,   1858  . 

President  Wayland  as  Seen  by  His  Nephew 

Brown  at  the  Close  of  the  Fifties 

The  Angell  Cradle 

An  Initiation  into  the  "  Phils  " 

The  Philermenians  and  the  United  Brothers 

The  College  During  the  Civil  War 

The  Origin  of  "  Alma  Mater  " 

Random  Recollections  of  1861    . 

Memories  Light  and  Tender 

A  Class  Expelled  .... 

The  Passing  of  the  Ancient  Well- Curb 

In  Brown's  Centennial  Year 

The  Old  Textbook  Burials 

The  Faculty  in  the  Sixties   . 

More  About  the  Faculty  in  the  Sixties 

The  Beginnings  of  Baseball  at  Brown    . 

The  Hollow  Square     . 

The  Tale  of  the  Bonnet 

The  Water  Procession 

In  the  Days  of  Seventy 

The  Old  College  Well 

The  Barker  Hoax  and  a  Visit  from  Two 

Brown 
The  Great  American  Traveller 
Two  Bancroft  Stories   . 
The  Glorious  Class  of  187 1  . 
Boating  at  Brown 
Three  Immortals 


A.  H.  Nelson 

A.  H.  Nelson 

W.  L.  Stone 

W.  L.  Stone 

W.   W.  Keen 

W.   W.  Keen 

T.  W.  Bicknell 

H.  S.  Burrage 

H.  S.  Burrage 

J.  A.  De  Wolf 

A.  M.  Eaton 
jr.   IF.  Hoppin 

J.  H.  Stiness 

B.  F.  Clarke 
IF.  IF.  Bailey 
W.  IF.  Bailey 

G.  B.  Peck 

John  Tethno 

IF.  R.  Perce 

IF.  R.  Perce 

JF.  R.  Perce 

R.  B.  Metcalf 

W.  H.  Miinro 

R.  P.  Brown 

Great  Generals  R.  P. 


R.  P.  Brown 
R.  B.  Comstock  and  R.  P.  Broivn 
R.  P.  Broivn 
G.  T.  Bro7vn 
IF.  E.  Foster 


I'AfiE 
140 

160 

168 
170 

187 
190 

200 
202 
207 
209 
2  2  1 

^3^ 

235 
^37 
^45 
248 
256 

259 
261 

263 

265 

272 
28  q 


President  Wheeler's  First  Impressions  of  Brown  B.  I.  Wheeler     icyz 


Memories  of  Brown 


When  Dr.  Robinson  Came  to  Brown     . 
President   Robinson  on  the   Rush  Line 


/v\  B.  ComstOik 
IV.  C.  Joslin 


President     Robinson     and     the    Valedictorian    of     Seventy-seven 
W.  L.  Miinro    . 


Anthony  McCabe 

C.  H.  Pendleton 

W.  P.  Bartlett 

IV.  L.  Mimro 

IV.  L.  Mitnro 

E.  S.  Marsh 

W.  H.  P.  Faunce 

\V.  H.  P.  Fanncc 

J.  Z.  Richmond 

Anthony  McCabe 

I.  B.  Burgess 


The  College  Buildings  in  Other  Days 

Brilliant  Seventy-eight  . 

Marrying  before  Graduation 

Devolution  of  the  Bonfire 

Dimanesque 

Seventy-nine's  Page  of  History 

Reminiscences  by  President  Faunce 

The  Romance  Department  under  Gates 

Beating  Harvard  and   Vale  in  Seventy-nine 

Campus  Events  in  the  Eighties     . 

President  Robinson's  Terse  Philosophy 

Classroom   Memories  H.  P.   Manning,    W.  M.   P.  Bowen,  R.  H. 

Ferguson,   O.  F.  Randall.  R.  K.    IVickett,  J.  A.  Williams 
The  Bogus  Electi\e  Card     ....  C.  R.  Upton 

Confessions  of  a  Salutatorian        .  .  .  F.  M.  Bronson 

How  Eighty-four  Worried  a  Professor  .  .  H.  R.  Palmer 

"  Something  Doing  "'  in  the  Eighties   .  .  A.  C.  Barroivs 

Anecdotes  of  the  Faculty  in  Dr.  Robinson's  Time   Anthony  McCabe 

Bell  and  Bonfire A.  T.  Swift 

Rushes,  Fires  and   Signs      ....  J.  B.  Greene 

Brown  in  the  Later  Eighties  ...  H.  R.  Palmer 

The  Football  Rush       .....  J.  A.   Williams 

Hope  College  Twenty  Years  Ago         .  .  E.G.  Dexter 

A  Conflict  of  Jurisdictions    .  .  .  .  H.  L.  Thotnpson 

A  Fight  with  the  Firemen  in   1899  ...... 

Recollections  of  a  "Super"  .  .  .  W.  E.  Greene 

President  Andrews :    as  Seen   by    the   Brown   Men  of    His  Time 

William  McDonald  ........ 


I'AfilC 

301 

304 

306 
307 
335 
339 
341 
348 
350 
356 
360 
361 
366 
385 

390 
397 
401 

404 
406 
409 
420 
424 

430 
437 
440 
444 
446 

454 
463 


PROLOGUE 

THIS  book  had  its  genesis  several  years  ago,  when 
a  committee,  at  the  suggestion  of  President 
Faunce  and  under  the  chairmanship  of  Professor 
Bronson,  began  the  collection  of  reminiscences  from  the 
graduates  of  Brown.  To  Mr.  Howard  A.  Coflfin  of  the 
class  of  1 90 1  acknowledgment  is  due  for  special  enthusiasm 
in  the  work,  while  each  of  the  other  members  of  the  com- 
mittee, including  the  writer,  contributed  some  thought 
and  labor,  the  result  of  which  was  the  assemblage  of  a 
considerable  number  of  interesting  manuscripts.  How- 
ever, the  book  was  not  pushed  through  to  publication,  and 
the  movement  lagged  until  1908,  when  the  Brown  Alumni 
Magazine  Company,  the  publishers  of  the  Brown  Alumni 
Monthly,  determined  to  assume  the  responsibility  for  it. 
Meanwhile,  Mr.  Anthony  McCabe  had  for  some  years 
been  engaged  in  writing  down  his  own  memories  of  the 
life  of  the  college  and  collecting  manuscripts  from  many 
graduates,  with  the  idea  of  embodying  them  in  some  such 
volume  as  this.  Mr.  McCabe  had  served  the  university 
and  the  Rhode  Island  Historical  Society  for  nearly  or 
quite  a  generation,  and,  although  not  a  Brown  man  him- 
self, had  become  so  identified  with  the  college  as  to 
acquire  an  intimate  knowledge  of  its  history  and  tradi- 
tions. He  generously  contributed  the  various  reminis- 
cences in  his  possession,  including  his  own,  to  the  editors 
of  the  present  volume,  who  cordially  acknowledge  his  as- 
sistance in  their  task,  and  believe  that  a  peculiar  interest 
will  attach  to  his  point  of  view  as  that  of  a  former  mem- 
ber of  the  president's  secretarial  and  steward's  constabu- 
lary forces. 


Memories  of  Brown 


To  the  mass  of  material  thus  provided,  large  additions 
have  been  made  from  a  variety  of  sources.  Alumni, 
old  periodicals  and,  in  one  conspicuous  instance,  ancient 
letters  hitherto  unpublished  have  been  drawn  upon.  It 
has  also  been  necessary  to  excise  and  modify  at  many 
points  for  the  sake  of  producing  a  symmetrical  whole  and 
at  the  same  time  conforming  to  the  limits  arbitrarily  im- 
posed upon  the  enterprise.  If  in  this  amendatory  process 
matter  as  valuable  and  interesting  as  any  that  appears  has 
been  sacrificed,  the  editors  can  answer  only  that  they 
have  had  to  be  guided  by  divers  reasons  not  always  ap- 
parent to  the  individual  writer. 

Even  so,  they  may  be  charged  with  too  liberal  an  inclu- 
siveness  at  certain  points.  Here  again  they  must  plead 
their  own  best  judgment.  They  have,  at  any  rate,  known 
no  other  purpose  than  to  produce  a  volume  that  will 
nourish  the  love  of  Brown  graduates  everywhere  for 
the  old  college  on  the  hill.  They  have  desired  to  pre- 
serve, while  it  was  still  possible,  recollections  that  could 
not  be  gathered  a  few  years  hence,  and,  by  giving  these 
body  upon  the  printed  page,  to  re-establish  the  van- 
ished past  and  create  in  the  contemporary  mind  a  fuller 
consciousness  of  the  continuity  of  Brunonian  tradition 
and  aspiration. 

If  the  book  awakens  other  memories  of  Brown,  pun- 
gent, grateful  and  tender,  if  it  renews  among  its  readers 
a  ready  devotion  to  Alma  Mater, —  those  whose  names  ap- 
pear upon  its  title-page,  and  whose  own  loyalty  has  been 
quickened  by  the  story  it  tells,  will  count  themselves  for- 
tunate indeed. 

H.  R.  P. 


Commencement  in  the  Olden  Time 

The  College  about  1800 


COMMENCEMENT  formerly  was  the  Festival  of 
Providence.  Soldiers  and  boys  had  their  "artil- 
lery election,"  in  April,  and  "general  muster"  in 
the  autumn;  Episcopalians  had  their  Christ- 
mas holidays;  Baptists  had  their  annual  association  as 
from  year  to  year  appointed;  Congregationalists  fasted 
and  feasted  according  to  the  laws  of  the  Old  Bay  State, 
where  they  came  from,  and  Quakers  had  their  quarterly 
meetings  every  second  month ;  but  everybody  had  com- 
mencement. It  is  true,  that  the  Baptists  were  inclined 
to  hold  their  heads  a  little  the  highest,  because  one  of 
their  number  wore  a  cocked  hat  on  this  occasion,  but 
they  did  not  dare  to  strut  it  much,  lest  they  should  injure 
the  college.  Yes,  everybody  had  commencement  day. 
Distinctions  in  politics  and  religion  were  then  laid  aside. 
All  faces  wore  smiles  during  the  whole  week,  commenc- 
ing with  Monday  morning,  and  to  that  end  "washing 
day"  was  generally  postponed  till  into  the  next  week. 
It  was  the  season  when  country  cousins  returned  all  tlie 
calls  and  visits  which  they  had  received  the  past  year. 
It  was  the  time  appointed  for  the  adjustment  and  settle- 
ment of  claims  of  this  nature.  "  You  will  come  and  see 
us  at  commencement "  was  the  stereotyped  invitation  left 
with  the  said  countr}-  cousins,  when  honored  with  visits 
from  their  Providence  friends,  no  matter  at  what  season 
of  the  year.  And  sure  enough,  they  did  come.  The 
town  was  filled  with  strangers.  Mind  you,  there  was  no 
such  a  thing  as  a  steamboat  or  a  railroad  in  those  days. 


10  Memories  of  Brown 

Public  stages  were  not  what  they  have  been  since.  The 
main  one  from  Boston  would  carry  uncomfortably  six 
inside,  and,  upon  sufificient  notice,  say  a  day  or  two,  an 
"extra"  equally  roomy  could  be  had.  As  long  ago  as  I 
can  recollect,  Captain  Gardner  sailed  a  packet  to  New- 
port, wind  and  weather  permitting,  as  often  as  twice  a 
week.  The  principal  mode  of  conveyance  was  the  square- 
top  chaise,  long  since  discarded  for  the  bellows-top  chaise 
and  other  carriages.  They  would  begin  to  arrive  on 
Monday,  but  on  Tuesday  towards  sunset  every  avenue  to 
the  town  was  filled  with  them.  In  the  stable  yards  of  the 
"Golden  Ball  Inn,"  the  "  Montgomery  Tavern  "  and  other 
public  houses,  on  Wednesday  morning,  you  could  see 
hundreds  of  them,  each  numbered  by  the  hostlers  on  the 
dashers  with  chalk,  to  prevent  mistakes.  Passing  along 
the  streets,  what  smiling  faces  greet  you  at  every  corner, 
what  a  shaking  of  hands,  how  full  of  joy  is  the  town ;  the 
old  have  forgotten  their  years,  the  sick  their  infirmities, 
the  poor  their  poverty  and  the  rich  their  plagues. 

The  literary  exercises  of  commencement  season  begin 
on  Tuesday.  The  graduating  class,  on  Monday  and 
Tuesday,  are  engaged  in  rehearsing  in  the  Old  Baptist 
before  the  college  ofificers,  and  receiving  the  last  touch  of 
the  graces  which  they  are  to  exhibit  on  Wednesday. 
The  society  of  undergraduates,  who  celebrate  their 
anniversary  on  Tuesday,  are  obliged  from  this  circum- 
stance to  go  to  the  Congregational  meeting-house.  The 
exercises  consisted  then,  as  now,  of  an  oration  and  a 
poem  identical  in  name  with  the  exercises  now,  and 
nearly  so  in  substance.  The  orator  and  poet  then  were 
selected  from  recent  graduates  of  the  college,  neither 
boys  nor  men,  but  just  in  a  transition  state,  between 
students  and  men. 

How  long  the  twilight  of  Tuesday  used  to  appear.      The 


Memories  oj  Brown  1 1 

sun  seemed  to  delay  his  going  down  as  long  as  possible, 
and  when  his  face  was  below  the  horizon,  still  would  he 
send  forth  his  light  to  sicken  youthful  hearts  with  hope 
deferred.  The  town  was  on  tiptoe  to  witness  the  illumi- 
nation of  the  college  building  this  evening.  It  was  a 
busy  day  at  the  college.  There  was  the  society's  celebra- 
tion to  attend,  after  which  each  student  had  to  adjust  the 
candles  at  his  windows  for  the  illumination.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  a  large  box  is  raised  opposite  the  round 
window  in  the  pediment,  the  outside  or  front  of  which  is 
covered  with  a  thick  dark  curtain.  Scarcely  is  the  sun 
down  before  the  human  current  begins  to  set  toward  the 
college  from  all  quarters.  Before  it  is  fairly  dark  the 
college  3'ard  is  filled  with  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  all  ages 
and  sizes.  Not  a  light  is  to  be  seen  at  the  college  win- 
dows. Anon  the  college  bell  rings  and  eight  tallow^  can- 
dles at  each  window  shed  their  rich  luxuriant  yellow  light 
on  the  crowed  below.  The  curtain  rises  from  the  box  at 
the  pediment,  and  there  emblazoned  in  light  is  our  na- 
tional emblem,  the  spread-eagle,  talking  Latin  to  this 
same  crowd.  In  later  times,  the  eagle  gave  place  to  "  the 
temple  of  science."  Loud  was  the  cheering  and  long  did 
it  continue,  even  until  several  taps  on  a  bass  drum  inti- 
mated the  presence  of  the  band  of  music  which  the  grad- 
uating class  had  hired  to  discourse  music  on  commence- 
ment day.  The  band  arrange  themselves  on  the  front 
steps  of  the  old  chapel,  and  make  the  welkin  ring  again, 
with  Washington's  March,  Hail  Columbia  and  other 
appropriate  tunes.  At  a  given  signal  from  the  college 
bell,  the  music  ceases,  the  lights  are  simultaneously  extin- 
guished, and  the  spectators  and  auditors  left  in  darkness 
that  could  almost  be  felt  to  find  their  homes. 

This  was  the  opening  scene  of  commencement,  not 
very  scientific  or  literary,  it  is  true,  but  it  led  to  both 
science  and   literature,  as  it  excited  an   interest  in  the 


Oh 


Memories  of  Brown  1 3 

public  in  favor  of  the  college,  which  was  the  fountain  of 
both  in  this  community.  All  could  not  "  go  to  college," 
all  could  not  talk  Latin,  or  make  almanacs,  but  all  could 
see  an  illumination  and  could  hear  music.  Those  who 
could  do  no  more  were  fully  satisfied  with  the  college  for 
these  benefits  and  advantages,  and,  as  they  had  some,  they 
felt  less  disposition  to  envy  those  who  had  more  advan- 
tages from  it. 

How  many  heads  press  wakeful  pillows,  that  night  in 
Providence  !  Too  much  hope,  too  much  fear  and  too  much 
joy,  each  had  its  sleepless  victims.  Day  breaks  at  last 
and  the  rising  sun  is  saluted  by  two  of  the  brass  field- 
pieces  which  Burgoyne  surrendered  at  Saratoga.  An 
old  revolutionary  drummer  and  fifer  are  playing  the  re- 
veille through  the  principal  streets  of  the  town.  This 
happens  on  the  years  when  the  United  Train  of  Artillery 
does  escort  duty  to  the  literati  to  and  from  the  meeting- 
house. The  "  Independent"  companies  did  this  duty  by 
turns.  Every  year  some  company  appeared  in  full  uni- 
form, armed  and  equipped  as  the  law  directed.  It  was  an 
integral  part  of  commencement,  without  which  it  would 
have  been  as  imperfect  as  the  president  without  a  cocked 
hat.  The  boys  can  scarcely  be  stayed  for  their  breakfasts. 
Their  imaginations  are  too  much  excited  to  leave  any 
appetite  for  ordinary  food,  although  on  the  Great  Bridge 
booths  were  erected,  where  could  be  found  such  New 
England  dainties  as  doughnuts,  three-cornered  mince 
pies  and  lemonade. 

Before  nine  o'clock  commencement  morning  the  current 
is  again  setting  towards  the  college.  The  great  gate  has 
been  thrown  wide  open  ;  the  turnstile  would  not  afford 
space  enough  for  those  who  are  now  going  to  pay  their 
morning  devoirs  to  Alma  Mater.      The  graduates  and 


14  Memories  of  Brown 


"  strangers "  not  "  of  distinction  "  are  gathered  in  little 
knots  in  the  yard  waiting  the  forming  of  "the  proces- 
sion." Occasionally  one  of  the  graduating  class  may  be 
seen  stepping  daintily  across  the  yard,  his  dress  the  wide- 
flowing  black  silk  gown,  with  shorts,  that  only  article  of 
gentleman's  dress  which  modern  ladies  have  not  literally 
appropriated  to  their  own  use  as  well  as  metaphorically. 
The  trustees  and  fellows  of  the  college  are  convening  in 
the  chapel.  The  "  fellows "  are  not  the  Odd  Fellows  of 
the  present  day,  but  a  "  learned  faculty,"  constituted  such 
by  the  charter  of  the  college.  The  military  escort  has 
halted  without  the  gate.  The  procession  is  formed  now 
as  it  was  in  former  times,  excepting  only  the  escort.  They 
proceed  down  College  street,  up  Main  street  and  Presi- 
dent street  and  enter  the  Old  Baptist  at  the  south  door. 

The  trustees  and  fellows,  that  "  learned  faculty,"  occupy 
a  stage  on  the  north  side  of  the  pulpit,  the  graduating 
class  one  on  the  south  side,  while  in  front  is  that  on 
which  the  speakers  are  to  appear.  The  band  of  music 
are  in  the  west  gallery,  where  the  organ  now  is.  Just 
before  the  times  that  I  now  speak  of,  the  Baptists  had, 
after  much  heart-burning,  introduced  singing  into  public 
worship.  There  they  had  stopped  with  the  rest  of  the 
Puritans.  The  sound  of  an  organ  or  even  a  bass-viol 
within  a  Baptist  meeting-house  then  would  have  cleared 
it  of  people  as  quick  as  the  cry  of  fire  from  without.  But 
at  commencement,  these  narrow  prejudices,  as  Episco- 
palians viewed  them,  gave  way  to  the  good  of  the  college, 
and  the  whole  band  played,  and  livelier  tunes,  too,  than 
Old  Hundred  or  Martyrs.  The  president  then  made  an 
extempore  prayer,  prepared  for  the  occasion.  The 
best  scholars  in  the  graduating  class  then  "spoke  their 
pieces."  The  first  in  order  was  the  second  in  standing  in 
his  class.     He  opened  the  "speaking"  by  salutatory  ad- 


Memories  of  Brown 


15 


dresses  in  Latin  to  the  audience,  the  officers,  the  "learned 
faculty,"  his  classmates,  he  turning  to  each  in  succession 
as  the  sheriff  used  to  turn  round  men  in  the  pillory. 
After  him  others  of  the  class  "  spoke,"  some  in  prose  and 
some  in  poetry,  and  some  in  both  until  about  twelve 
o'clock,  when  the  procession  again  formed  and   returned 


President's  House  and  University  Hall 
From  an  old  engraving 

to  college  for  dinner.  The  same  order  w^as  preserved  as 
in  their  downward  progress  in  the  morning,  being  what 
military  men  call  left  in  front.  First  were  the  under- 
graduates, then  the  graduating  class,  then  the  graduates 
according  to  age  and  honor,  then  the  trustees  and 
"  learned  faculty,"  and  the  president. 


They  changed  front  at  the  dining-hall  door.  From  this 
the  undergraduates  were  excluded.  The  hall  was  gener- 
ally well  filled  in  a  very  short  space  of  time,  each  old 


16  Memories  oj^  Brown 

graduate  well  prepared  to  keep  down  the  interest  on  the 
four  dollars  he  invested  in  the  commencement  dinner 
fund  when  he  was  in  college.  There  used  to  be  wine, 
too,  on  the  tables,  and  doctors  in  divinity,  after  the  un- 
usual labors  of  the  morning,  deemed  it  not  improper  to 
indulge  in  one  glass,  and  in  at  least  one  more,  to  enable 
them  to  undergo  the  fatigues  and  pleasures  of  the  after- 
noon. We  generally  had  "  short  commons "  on  this 
occasion,  not  in  food,  quantity  or  quality,  but  in  time,  as 
the  undergraduates  were  waiting  to  take  our  places.  Not 
a  word  is  uttered  at  the  table,  except  "  the  grace,"  and 
"  the  thanks ; "  each  seems  ambitious  to  show  forth  his 
faith  by  his  works.  The  graduates,  trustees,  etc.,  wait  in 
the  chapel  while  the  undergraduates  swallow  what  they 
have  left  on  the  dinner  tables,  then  the  procession  is 
again  formed  as  before,  and  again  to  the  meeting-house. 
The  rest  of  the  class  now  speak  "  their  pieces,"  occupying 
two  or  three  hours ;  the  president  then  confers  on  them 
the  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts,  because  they  have  paid 
their  bills,  and  been  under  the  tuition  of  the  tutors,  pro- 
fessors and  president  for  four  years.  Then  the  other 
degrees  were  conferred  as  now,  it  being  understood  that 
the  president,  in  this  part  of  the  performances,  is  but  the 
mouth-piece  of  the  "  learned  faculty  "  aforesaid,  who  by 
law  are  the  fountain  of  literary  honor  in  this  state.  After 
this  the  best  scholar  in  the  graduating  class  "  delivers  the 
valedictory  "  to  the  audience,  officers,  classmates,  etc.,  in 
turn,  as  the  salutatorian  did  in  the  morning. 

Again  the  procession  is  formed  and  proceeds  to  the 
college,  and  thus  ends  commencement  proper.  During 
the  day,  forenoon  and  afternoon,  the  Old  Baptist  is 
crowded  with  people,  and  redolent  with  beauty.  To 
say  that  it  was  full  would  not  convey  any  adequate  idea ; 
"  It  was  good  measure,  pressed  down  and  shaken  together 
and  running  over."     During  the  exercises,  every  bright 


MefJiorics  of  Brow7i 


17 


thought  and  well-turned  period  called  forth  long  and 
loud  plaudits,  as  well  from  those  that  heard  as  from  those 
who  could  not. 

On  the  evening  of  commencement  day,  the  Old  Baptist 
was  open  for  a  religious  meeting.     As  the  chandelier  was 


James  Manning,   D.   D. 
First  President  of  Rhode  Island  College,  1765-91 

always  lighted  on  these  occasions,  the  house  was  gener- 
ally well  filled,  and  the  audience  well  enlightened. 

Many  an  aching  head  longs  for  its  pillow  commencement 
night.  The  heat,  the  fatigue,  the  great  number  of  new 
faces  and  new  things,  seen  and  heard,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  dinner,  sufificiently  account  for  this.  But  aching 
hearts  are  few  compared  with  aching  heads.     We  arose 


1 8  Memories  of  Brown 

on  Thursday  morning  resolved  to  be  cured  by  a  repeti- 
tion of  a  similar  round  of  literary  excess.  At  ten  o'clock, 
"  The  Federal  Adelphi "  met  at  college  to  elect  their 
officers,  and  then  to  go  in  procession  to  some  meeting- 
house, and  hear  an  oration  from  some  old  graduate. 
This  society  was  supposed  to  consist  of  the  most  tal- 
ented, as  well  as  the  most  wealthy,  children  of  Alma 
Mater.  Associated  under  their  half-English  name,  deco- 
rated with  blue  ribbons,  and  no  silver  medals,  professing 
mysterious  rites  of  initiation  and  advantages  unutterable 
to  the  initiated,  and  always  meeting  the  day  after  com- 
mencement and  having  a  good  dinner,  if  not  a  good 
oration,  and  good  wine  in  plenty,  the  society  was  a  very 
popular  one.  They  generally  finished  their  literary  re- 
past, and  the  necessary  labors  of  the  society,  by  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  then  sat  down  to  dinner 
with  clearer  heads  than  they  could  boast  of  when  that 
ceremony  was  over.  Over  their  dessert,  old  stories  were 
repeated  and  old  jokes.  There  were  no  extempore 
speeches  from  members  called  out  by  the  president  upon 
some  sudden  emergency,  copies  of  which  they  hand  to 
news  reporters  as  soon  as  they  sit  down.  There  were  no 
returns  read  of  the  dead,  wounded  and  missing  members, 
but  as  occasionally  the  name  of  a  departed  one  was  an- 
nounced, the  company  would  rise  in  silence,  and  honor 
his  memory. 

Thus  closed  the  literary  exercises  of  commencement. 
Three  days  of  literary  feasting  are  enough  to  ruin  a  man's 
mental  organization,  and  produce  a  mental  dyspepsia. 

Strangers  began  to  leave  town  on  Thursday.  Many 
remained  to  partake  of  the  Federal  Adelphi  celebration, 
and  leave  Thursday  afternoon ;  but  by  Friday  noon  the 
crowds  are  gone  from  the  streets,  and  the  wonted  serenity 
is  restored.  There  remains  the  fever  flush  of  commence- 
ment pleasures  on  .many  a  cheek  for  some  days  later,  and 


M 


emortes  o 


o/B. 


rown 


19 


Providence  cannot  be  said  to  be  completely  herself  again, 
until  after  a  Sabbath  s  rest. 

This  is  an  imperfect,  very  imperfect,  sketch  of  an  old 
commencement.     If  any  prefer  it  to  a  modern  one,  they 


Jonathan  Maxcy,  D.  D.,   1787 
Second  President  of  the  College,  1797-1802 

will  mourn  with  me  over  its  ashes,  try  to  recall  its  pleas- 
ures and  revel  in  the  recollection  of  its  joys.  If  any 
prefer  it  not,  they  can  enjoy  the  coming  scenes,  and  I 
shall  not  envy  them. 


''Old  Citizen','  in  Providence  Jotirnal,  Jtily  2,  i8^i. 


20  Memories  of  B 


rown 


Life  at  Rhode  Island  College 

in  the  Eighteenth  Century 


THE  memories  of  Brown  which  follow  cannot  be 
designated  exactly  as  those  of  the  writer.  They 
are,  however,  the  memories  of  the  writer's  fore- 
fathers, and  where  family  relationship  to  an  in 
stitution  has  been  so  long  and  continuous  as  that  of  the 
writer's  family  to  Brown  University,  tradition  is  almost 
as  reliable  as  memory.  Fortunately  in  this  case  tra- 
dition is  fortified  by  much  corroborative  documentary 
evidence.  From  the  existing  mass  of  family  papers  into 
which  the  writer  has  at  times  delved  there  is  much  con- 
cerning the  history  of  the  college  from  the  time  of  its 
very  beginning,  and  sometimes  when  certain  papers  have 
seemed  to  be  of  more  than  personal  or  temporary  interest 
he  has  laid  them  aside  with  the  hazy  idea  that  they  might 
some  day  prove  useful  in  helping  to  give  to  later  genera- 
tions a  lively  picture  of  earlier  times.  From  the  material 
so  laid  aside  a  few  items  have  now  been  selected  to  offer 
some  glimpses  into  student  life  at  the  college  more  than 
a  century  ago.  They  are  selected  with  the  frankly  avowed 
purpose  of  showing  that  while  that  life  was  real  it  was  not 
always  earnest,  that  the  student  of  that  time  differed  but 
little  from  the  student  of  to-day  and  that  the  pale  blue  sky 
of  plain  living  and  high  thinking,  which  those  who  have 
pictured  that  life  have  almost  always  chosen  for  their 
background,  was  sometimes  overcast  and  murky.  Other 
selections  might  have  been  made  which  would  have  given 
other  impressions.     There  are  many  letters  from  fathers 


M 


emortes  oi 


B 


row?i 


21 


or  elder  brothers  full  of  good  advice,  and  replies  from 
undergraduates  full  of  high  resolve  —  letters  which  might 
even  now  kindle  a  smouldering  desire  for  the  better  things 
of  life.  There  are  letters  from  earlier  presidents,  ofificers 
of  the  college  and  others,  which  show  their  worries,  finan- 


Rev.  William  Rogers.    1769 
The  first  undergraduate  of  Rhode  Island  College.     From  original  in  posses- 
sion of  his  Great-Great-Grandnephew.  Theodore  F.  Green 


cial  and  educational.  The  space  available  however,  will 
permit  the  printing  of  only  a  few^  letters  showing  either 
characteristic  phases  or  picturesque  incidents  of  stu- 
dent life  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century. 


22 


Memories  of  Brown 


A  glimpse  of  the  social  life  of  the  college  in  1795  is  of- 
fered by  this  communication  from  Timothy  Green  to  his 
younger  brother,  William  E.  Green,  then  an  undergrad- 
uate: 


"  I  do  not  approve  of  your  associating  with  the  Miss 
B s  or  any  young  girls  but  under  the  special  Instruc- 
tion of  your  sisters  &  myself.  I  did  not  like  the  situation 
in  life  of  the  Ladies  I  saw  at  your  room,  I  seldom  had 
any  that  was  not  first  in  the  place  I  resided  in." 

The  following  letter 
is  especially  interesting 
because  it  refers  to  Tris- 
tam  B urges,  and  shows 
how  early  he  was  held  in 
high  esteem.  It  is  dated 
April  II,  1796,  and  is 
from  William  E.  Green 
at  college  to  his  brother, 
Dr.  John  Green,  Jr. 

"  Dear  Brother 

".  .  .  (Hearing  of  a 
vacancy  in  a  school,  he 
suggests  as  instructor 
one  "  worthy  of  your 
most  candid  atten- 
tion.") He  is  a  person 
who  maintains  an  un- 
blemished  character  in 

this  place  &  a  very  exalted  one  as  to  literary  abilities. 
He  can  come  well  recommended  in  every  particular. 
He  proposes  to  study  law  in  Worcester  with  Judge 
Lincoln  &  as  he  is  not  any  acquainted  there  he  would 


Tristam  Surges,   1796 


Memories  of  Brown  23 

Avish  to  form  some  reputable  connections  such  as  his 
distinguished  reputation  &  his  abihties  will  recommend 
him  to.  .  .  .  He  is  a  person  who  has  kept  school  con- 
siderable &  understands  the  business  perfectly  well. 
.  .  .  The  gentleman  whom  I  have  endeavored  to  recom- 
mend to  you  is  a  Mr.  (Tristam)  Burges  a  member  of  the 
senior  class ;  from  Rochester  in  the  county  of  Plymouth 
a  gentleman  about  25  years  of  age. 

"  Your  exertions  in  this  case  will  be  received  with  the 
greatest  acknowledgment  by  your  affectionate  brother, 

"Wm.  Green." 

"  N.  B.  You  will  be  pleased  to  answer  immediately  as 
he  is  to  answer  another  gentleman  immediately  after  he 
receives  yours." 

Andrew  Dexter,  Jr.,  at  college  writes,  August  6,  1796,  to 
his  classmate,  William  E.  Green,  Worcester,  as  follows : 

"  Dear  Chum  — 

"...  I  am  at  present,  as  you  imagine,  sole  occupant 
of  the  blue  room ;  but  I  hope  soon  to  share  my  Lordship 
with  his  honour  Esq.  Nichols.  The  old  brick  is  to  be 
newTigged,  so  that  I  hope  we  shall  be  able  to  weather  the 
storms  of  the  ensuing  season  without  shipping  any  more 
seas.  We  are  at  present  studying  and  shall  be  examined 
on  Watts  Logic,  and  the  first  volume  of  Kames  Criticism 
omitting  the  chapter  on  beauty.  The  latter  we  have  been 
half  through  the  second  time.  The  former  we  have  been 
through  just  three  times  having  omitted  in  Part  ist  the  7 
Sec.  of  Chap.  6 ;  in  Part  2nd  the  3  &  4  Sees,  of  Chap.  2  ; 
in  the  same  part  all  Chap.  5th  ;  in  Part  3  the  4  &  5th  Sec. 
of  Chap.  2  ;  and  we  shall  not  be  examined  on  the  2nd 
Chapter  of  Part  4.     .   .   .     Wood  has  returned  but  I  do 


24  Memories  of  Brown 

not  know  how  he  stands  with  the  authority,  he  has  not  as 
yet  recited  nor  does  he  attend  prayers.  There  have  been 
no  Rustees  (sic)  out  yet  by  our  class  or  any  other  by  a 
description  of  which  you  can  be  entertained.  By  God 
Esq.  Nichols  has  gone  home.  J.  Sneak,  Uncle  Toby, 
Uncle  Webb,  My  Lord,  the  Corporal  and  in  fine  Sango 
Boo,  with  all  others  who  are  renowned  and  honoured  by 
such  high  sounding  names  are  well  and  hearty.     .   .   ." 

This  letter  is  from  J.  Tallmadge,  at  college,  to  his  class- 
mate, William  E.  Green,  under  date  of  January  31,  1797 : 

"  Dear  &  Respected  Phronesian  Brother 
AND  Classmate 

".  .  .  As  soon  as  the  vacation  commenced  every 
student  eloped  from  this  adoreable  Parnassian  seat  except 
Allen  M.  and  myself.  Thus  you  will  readily  imagine  the 
almost  supreme  happiness  which  we  have  experienced. 
The  doleful  toling  of  that  loathsome  bell  no  more  assails 
our  ears  and  reluctantly  drags  us  from  the  sweet  embraces 
of  our  adoreable  God  Morpheus.  No  longer  are  my 
natural  slumbers  interrupted  with  secret  machinations 
how  to  quell  the  growing  pride  and  power  of  the  haughty 
seniors.  All  such  strifes  and  contentions  are  done  away. 
I  reign  here  like  a  powerful  monarch ;  no  one  to  oppose 
me  (and  alas  no  one  to  obey  me)    .   .   . 

"  I  have  the  honour  of  subscribing  myself  your  Phrone- 
sian Brother  and  Classmate." 

On  September  30,  1797,  Colonel  John  Whipple,  Provi- 
dence, wrote  to  William  E.  Green  at  Worcester : 

"  Mv  YOUNG  Friend 

"  This  Day  Mr.  Maxcy  has  advertised  in  the  Provi- 
dence Gazet  of  his  determination  to  postpone  the  meet- 


Memof^ies  of  B?'0W7i  25 

ing  or  coming  in  of  the  Scholars  of  the  Coledgc  untill 
further  notice  in  said  paper  when  he  may  think  it  saf 
and  I  think  you  may  expect  a  long  vacation  as  he  has  re- 
moved to  the  Comeden  (?)  and  is  truly  under  Peticoat 
Government. 

"  adieu 

"  Your  &c. 

"John  Whipple." 

"  My  Recpts  &  Mrs.  Whipple's  to  the  Good  Family."  .   .   . 

To  his  classmate,  William  E.  Green,  at  Worcester,  J. 
Tallmadge,  at  college,  writes  March  2,  1798: 

"  Esteemed  Friend:  — 

"  Being  blest  with  a  few  moments  leisure  as  I  have 
just  finished  my  composition,  I  have  concluded  to  in- 
trude upon  you  with  a  letter.  I  hope  you  may  happen 
to  be  at  leisure  when  this  arrives  that  your  ever  easy  dis- 
position may  not  be  irritated  with  the  trouble  of  reading 
of  it.  I  should  not  have  wrote  to  you  but  having  learned 
yourself  and  friends  were  sick  I  fear  you  will  not  be  with 
us  yet  in  some  time :  and  as  it  is  essential  to  our  future 
success  when  we  shall  be  obliged  to  combat  the  class  to 
keep  in  store  all  things  which  are  transacted,  I  have 
thought  proper  according  to  the  indian  mode  to  entrust 
something  to  your  memory. 

"  The  present  you  well  know  is  an  interesting  and  truly 
important  era  in  our  Collegiate  career.  It  is  an  era  "big 
with  fate."  It  is  an  era  in  which  our  future  peace  happi- 
ness and  w^elfare  depends.  I  allude  to  that  important 
crysis  in  which  we  are  to  listen  to  the  irrevocable  mandate 
of  fate ;  In  which  our  future  destiny  is  to  be  pronounced, 
and  upon  which  our  future  existence  almost  depends,  I 
mean  the  allotment  of  our  parts  for  Commencement. 
Scarcely  do  I  ever  reflect  upon  the  near  approach  of  that 


26  Memories  of  Brown 

interesting  and  important  hour  but  "  big  round  drops  in 
pitious  chace  "  roll  from  my  eyes.  But  I  am  not  the  only 
son  whose  rest  is  disturbed,  and  whose  tranquility  of  mind 
is  interrupted  by  the  contemplation  of  that  fatal  morning 
in  which  our  parts  are  to  be  pronounced.  And  though 
your  mind  is  probably  amused  with  the  gaiety  and  vivacity 
of  Worcester  ladies  I  dare  presume  you  are  disturbed  by 
the  same  melancholy  thoughts  which  at  present  occupy 
my  mind.  Anxious  for  advancement  our  class  appear 
like  a  drove  of  deacons.  All  are  attentive  to  their  books, 
all  are  anxious  to  gain  favour.  If  one  of  the  authority 
walk  in  the  odoriferous  Grubstreet,  the  seniours  all  pre- 
pare to  meet  them  that  they  may  shew  respect  by  bowing 
with  profound  adoration.  No  art  remains  untryed  to  ob- 
tain favour —  enough  —  Webb's  exhibition  piece  is  proved 
to  be  stollen  from  SL  Pierres  Studies  of  Nature  and 
Gary's  Poem  on  chance  consisting  of  150  lines  is  found  in 
Blackmore  on  Creation  90  lines  verbatim,  Thomson  is  so 
proud  that  he  did  not  steal  his  that  by  the  request  of  the 
Freshmen  and  Sophomores  it  is  put  to  the  press  and  will 
be  out  tomorrow,  Mr.  Garter  affords  them  at  2  cents  each. 
I  hope  therefore  there  will  not  be  so  much  grass  pulled 
up  this  summer  for  —  fodder. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  inform  you  that  Gorporal  Trim  has 
drowned  his  grief  with  liquor  so  often  this  quarter  that 
Maxcy  has  had  him  at  the  tribunal  bar,  and  last  night 
admonished  him  and  fined  him  6  shillings.  It  was  divert- 
ing the  other  day  to  hear  Gary  and  Webb  dispute.  They 
twited  each  other  of  appearing  in  borrowed  feathers  at 
exhibition  &c   .   .   .   and  came  nigh  to  fighting. 

"  It  is  almost  time  for  prayers,  I  must  bid  you  adieu 

"y.  Tallmadge  " 
"  Mr.  Wm.  Greene." 

".  .  .  N.  Olney  says  when  rogues  quarrel  honest  men 
get  their  rights." 


Me??iorics  of  B?^own  27 

In  a  more  cheerful   vein  Tallmadge  addresses  Green 
on  March    23,  1798,  shortly  after  the  letter  last  printed. 


"  Reverend  &  Honored  Sir  :  — 

".  .  .  Away  sorrow- — Let  us  recount  our  joys.  I  im- 
agine you  are  particularly  anxious  to  obtain  information 
of  our  Collegiate  affairs.  I  will  therefore  make  that  my 
principle  subject.  I  informed  you  the  situation  of  busi- 
ness this  last  term  in  my  former  letter.  The  Collegiate 
transactions  continued  in  the  same  uninterrupted  strain 
from  the  time  I  wrote  to  you  until  the  fatal  day  arrived. 
A  day  "big  with  the  fate  of  Cato  and  of  Rome."  A 
day  in  which  the  irrevocable  sentence  was  pronounced 
and  we  were  informed  whether  misery  or  happiness  was 
our  future  lot.  The  evening  before  our  parts  were  al- 
loted  was  gloomy,  it  was  dark.  Each  ones  face  pro- 
claimed the  agitation  of  his  heart.  Morpheus  the  ever 
adorable  god  of  sleep,  deigned  not  to  bless  some  of  our 
class  with  his  presence.  Unable  to  sleep,  they  traversed 
the  lonely  halls  and  saepe  gemunt  ab  ima  corde.  Had  I 
not  been  knowing  to  the  ultimate  cause  of  their  distress 
and  positive  from  whom  the  lamentations  proceeded,  I 
should  have  imagined  myself  removed  to  some  desert 
place  where  I  was  listening  to  the  footsteps  of  some 
ghastly  ghost  wandering  over  the  fallen  ruins  of  a  once 
magnificent  dome,  and  the  terrifying  croakings  of  the 
solitary  owl. 

"  After  prayers  they  all  looked  with  anxious  expectation. 
If  you  have  ever  seen  the  sable  cat  from  under  the  barn 
floor  glare  with  her  flaming  eyeballs,  imagine  if  you  can 
endure  the  thought,  27  of  them  in  one  row  with  eyes  if 
possible  more  terrible  than  usual  looking  you  full  in  the 
face,  and  you  will  have  a  good  representation  of  our  class 
and  the  deplorable  situation  of  little /(9^/'.     Heat  length 


28  Memories  of  Brown 

summoned  a  sufficiency  of  mind  to  proclaim  the  following 
arrangements.  Dexter,  Salutatory.  Webb,  Valedictory. 
Bnllock,  Cary,  Tallniadge,  Thompson,  Intermediates. 
Albro,  Underiuood,  Waterman,  Dissertations.  Foster, 
Latin  Diss.  Hathaway,  Maxwell,  Sabine,  Williams,  Dis- 
pute. Thompson,  Fessenden,  Greene,  Dialogue.  Gary, 
Bullock,  Allen,  Tallmadge,  Dialogue. 

"  Finis 
"  Amen 

"  I  shall  not  comment  upon  this  arrangement  of  the  parts 
but  shall  leave  it  for  your  own  consideration.  I  shall  only 
observe  that  some  think  it  is  not  just.  Maxwell  is  high, 
talked  with  Maxcy  and  at  length  told  him  it  was  a  damned 
partial  distribution,  in  a  rage  he  went  off  to  Newport  but 
Rogers  sent  him  directly  back  and  he  is  now  much  cooled. 

"  I  would  write  much  more  to  you  but  time  and  paper 
both  forbid.  I  am  very  anxious  to  have  you  come  in  as 
we  begin  to  dispute  in  the  class.   .   .   . 


The  following  communication  is  to  William  E.  Green, 
Worcester,  from  Rudolphus  H.  Williams,  his  classmate, 
at  college,  April  8,  1798: 

"  Dear  Class  Mate 

"...  But  reverting  to  a  more  ludicrous  theme  I 
will  have  recourse  to  Collegiate  affairs.  As  Mr.  Tall- 
madge has  given  you  a  catalogue  of  the  parts  I  shall  not 
trouble  you  with  another  but  will  recite  some  of  the 
transactions  since.  The  next  night  after ;  the  locks  that 
are  on  the  doors  that  lead  to  the  bell  were  filled  with  lead 
so  that  we  had  a  long  morning  before  the  ringing  of  the 
bell,  the  entries  nightly  resound  with  crashing  of  bottles 
and  the  hoarse  rumblino:  of  wood  and  stones.     We  have 


Memories  of  Brown  29 

found  out  that  Father  Messer  was  the  principal  man  in 
giving  out  the  parts  and  for  that  reason  he  is  treated  with 
contempt  by  the  students.  Mr.  Maxcy  has  been  unwell 
the  last  week  so  that  he  did  not  attend  prayers  and  Messer 
officiated  and  he  has  both  been  hissed  and  clapt.  I  have 
been  choked  ever  since  the  parts  came  out,  and  I  have 
not  swallowed  yet,  Sir  Peter  has  gotten  quite  calm  but 
Sabin  scowls.  I  asked  a  dismission  and  went  home  but 
my  Parents  would  not  let  me  take  it.  Waterman  and 
Allen  are  well  pleased,  Underwood  and  Fessenden  are 
not  in,  Gary's  eyes  have  been  red  all  this  quarter,  and  it 
is  the  most  general  time  for  visiting  brothers  that  I  ever 
knew   .   .   ." 

Another  glimpse  of  the  lighter  side  of  college  life  is  af- 
forded by  this  observation  in  a  letter  from  Meltiah  Green, 
at  home,  to  his  elder  brother,  William  E.  Green,  at  college, 
June  14,  1798: 

"...  It  is  very  hard  you  can't  write  when  you  have 
nothing  to  do  but  walk  about  the  streets.  I  have  often 
heard  that  the  last  year  at  Collegde  is  spent  pritty  much 
in  play   .    .    ." 

The  college  treaty  of  1798  is  described  in  the  following 
letter  of  June  25  from  William  E.  Green,  at  college,  to  his 
brother.  Dr.  John  Green,  Jr.: 

"  Dear  Brother 

"  I  now  write  you  to  inform  you  of  the  little  fray  which 
has  happened  here  within  a  few  weeks  as  it  is  now  at 
its  crisis  I  shall  just  sketch  it  in  its  outlines — In  the 
first  place  there  has  been  some  difficulty  concerning 
the  price  of  board  &  the  students  made  some  touse  about 
it  &  the  President  forbad  any  meeting  or  convention  of 


30  Memories  of  Brown 

the  students  &  likewise  any  committee  from  them  which 
very  much  inflamed  them  &  they  rose  in  mass  &  put  a 
stop  to  commons  for  a  few  days  which  made  the  authority 
very  angry  &  they  threated  to  expel,  but  we  were  so  unani- 
mous that  they  dared  not  put  their  threats  in  execution 
&  then  he  the  President  made  a  treaty  with  us  which  I 
shall  put  at  the  bottom  of  this  letter  &  we  are  now  about 
fixing  for  to  return  to  commons.  I  wish  you  would  send 
me  20  Dol  for  I  am  in  great  need  of  it  just  now  your  kind 
complyance  with  this  my  request  will  oblige  your  loving 
brother 

"  William  E.  Green." 

"...  Treaty  of  Amity  &  Intercourse  between  the 
President  of  Rhode  Island  College  &  the  party  rebel- 
lious—  June  23,  1798. 

"  The  committee  of  the  students  of  R.  I.  College  are  here- 
by informed  that  in  case  of  complyance  on  their  part 
respecting  the  laws  which  require  them  to  board  in  com- 
mons the  subscriber  will  use  his  utmost  exertions  to  have 
the  board  law^  of  the  students  in  every  respect  agreeable 
&  will  prevent  as  far  as  his  influence  will  extend  the  ex- 
ecution of  any  penalties  that  may  have  been  incurred  by 
those  students  who  have  left  commons  contrary  to  law ; 
the  subscriber  also  will  in  future  grant  liberty  to  apply 
either  to  himself  or  the  corporation  by  committee,  &  for 
this  purpose  that  all  such  transactions  may  be  valid  will 
present  a  resolution  to  the  corporation  at  their  next  meet- 
ing for  their  approbation. 

"  J  ON  A  Maxcy  Pres." 

In  the  eighteenth  century,  as  since,  the  college  com- 
pared favorably  with  its  neighbors.  From  Poughkeepsie, 
September  17,  1798,  James  Tallmadge,  Jr.,  wrote  his  class- 
mate, William  E.  Green : 


Memories  of  Brown  31 

"  Esteemed  Friend, 

"  I  hasten  to  inform  you  of  my  safe  arri\al  at  home. 
I  attended  the  Commencement  at  Newhaven  and  find 
it  though  much  celebrated,  not  equal  to  ours.  The 
students  speak  formally  and  likewise  theatrically.  Their 
compositions  were  very  poor,  scarcely  equal  to  our  Sopho- 
more productions.  The  at(tendan)ce  at  Commencement 
was  not  more  than  one  quarter  as  large  as  ours.  The 
house  in  which  they  hold  Commencement  is  something 
like  Wilsons  meeting  house  or  the  Church  in  Providence. 


The  "  Old  Brick"  and  the  "  Weazle ! "  Eighteenth-century 
college  boys  were  as  fond  of  terse  slang  as  their  suc- 
cessors. This  is  to  William  E.  Green,  at  Worcester, 
from  his  classmate,  Moses  Miller,  Jr.,  at  college,  July  6, 
1799: 

"  Worthy  friend 

"  Now  I  am  sitting  in  the  old  closet  rather  in  a  State 
of  gloominess.   .   .   . 

"  The  Old  Brick  resounds  very  frequently  with  the 
breaking  of  glass  bottles  against  Tutor  T's  door.  If  he 
can  be  called  a  Tutor.  We  have  given  him  the  epithet 
of  Weazle.  He  is  frequently  peaking  through  the  knot 
holes  &  cracks  to  watch  his  prey.  The  cat  that  crafty 
animal  gives  him  a  douse  in  the  chops  not  infrequently. 
She  has  not  yet  been  able  to  be  in  full  possession  of  him. 
But  if  Mr.  Weazle  is  not  more  careful  his  destruction  is 
certain.   .   .   . 


"  Old  Die  Shins  around  among  the  girls  with  the  ut- 
most freedom.  Young  Daniel  throws  Glass  bottles,  &  is 
raking  about  every  night.   .   .    ." 


32  Memories  of  Brown 

"  N.  B.  Please  to  inquire  of  Mr.  Thomas  for  some  dia- 
logues, we  are  in  great  necessity  for  some  for  exhibition. 
There  are  two  which  we  wish  for  viz.  Vinton  in  the  Suds, 
Brave  Irishman.  If  he  has  not  these  Please  to  obtain 
some  others  if  you  think  they  are  suitable  &  send  them 
by  next  mail.  Mr.  Thomas  will  charge  me  with  them 
&  swell  up." 

Again  Miller,  at  college,  writes  his  classmate,  William 
E.  Green,  under  date  of  March  21,  1800: 

"  Dear  friend: 

"feeling  anxious  to  hear  from  you  I  take  my  pen 
hoping  that  you  will  favor  me  with  an  answer.  I  have  not 
received  a  line  from  Worcester  since  I  saw  you  last.  We 
have  had  shocking  times  such  as  the  Old  Brick  never 
experienced  before.  A  Revolution  began  here  13  inst. 
It  broke  forth  like  the  torrents  from  the  precipice,  and 
for  some  time  swept  all  before  it.  The  passions  at  length 
subsided,  and  the  storm  abated.  No  study  !  No  prayers  ! 
Nothing  but  riot  and  confusion !  No  regard  paid  to 
Superiors.  Indeed,  Sir,  the  spirit  of  '75  was  displayed  in 
its  brightest  colors.  On  the  19th  inst.  I  prepared  my 
things  to  quit,  never  more  to  return ;  one  hour  before  we 
were  to  depart,  one  of  the  wise  men  of  the  corporation 
addressed  us  like  an  old  Fabius,  not  to  be  so  hasty. 
After  mature  reflection  we  consented  to  certain  proposi- 
tions which  were  then  made.  My  feelings  at  this  time 
were  unutterable, —  scarcely  could  I  contain  myself  for 
joy.  We  had  been  denyed  regular  dismissions  and  ex- 
pulsion must  have  been  our  lots.  By  this  time  I  suppose 
you'll  wish  to  know  the  cause  of  this  confusion.  The 
Steward's  inattention  to  his  duty  and  the  long  enmity 
that  has  existed  between  him  and  the  students  became 


Memories  of  Bf^ow?i  33 

intolerable.  Frequent  applications  were  made  to  render 
our  situation  more  favorable,  but  all  to  no  purpose. 

"  It  became  impossible  to  reconcile  the  students  with  the 
Steward.  We  requested  the  Bill  of  repairs.  It  was  re- 
fused. The  Steward  insulted  us  with  his  abusive  language. 
We  became  exceedingly  irritated.  At  length  13  of  March, 
the  memorable  13  of  March  — we  inconsiderately  carried 
headlong  by  passion  framed  an  instrument  which  con- 
tained all  the  names  of  those  who  boarded  in  Commons 
With  This  Declaration. 

"  We  Solemnly  Swear  that  we  will  not  attend  to  any 
duties  of  the  said  College  till  the  Steward  is  removed 
from  his  Ofifice  ! ! ! !  This  instrument  was  presented  to 
Jonathan  by  Benj.  Bourne,  John  Paddleford,  Philo  Wash- 
burn and  others  a  select  committee  for  the  sd.  purpose. 
And  behold  Jonathan's  ire  was  kindled  and  his  wrath 
burst  forth  on  his  subjects.  They  were  in  the  Chapel 
when  he  came  to  beseech  the  Lord  !  They  began  to  re- 
tire. He  found  it  in  vain  to  command.  He  requested 
them  to  stop.  He  addressed  us  in  as  mild  language  as 
he  could  possibly  considering  the  causes  of  provocation. 
He  told  us  we  were  trampling  upon  all  law.  He  pledged 
his  fidelity,  that  our  grievances  should  be  removed,  as  far 
as  it  was  in  his  power  to  remove  them,  if  we  would  return 
to  our  duty.  But  all  the  arguments  of  the  most  learned 
men  of  his  subjects  could  not  prevail  them  to  retract. 
We  chose  another  person  to  inform  him  that  we  would 
not  retract.  Jonathan  convened  the  Wise  men  who  took 
counsel  against  us.  The  next  day  being  the  14  of  March, 
A.  D.  1800  at  12  o'clock  we  were  assembled  in  the  Chapel 
at  the  request  of  Jonathan.  When,  behold,  Jonathan  and 
the  Wise  men  came  in  (the  Wise  men  you  will  understand, 
Hitchcock,  Gano,  Holroydetc.)  He  read  the  resolutions 
of  the  Wise  men.  They  could  not  have  us  in  a  state  of 
rebellion.     We  must  present  them   a   legal    instrument. 


34  Memories  of  Brown 

After  this,  Beiij.  Bourne  was  called  out  and  expelled. 
John  Paddleford  rusticated.  Philo  Washburn  rusticated. 
John  G.  Dorance  degraded.  Three  others  rusticated  and 
one  fined.  We  were  forbidden  all  access  to  the  authority 
by  committees  till  we  returned  to  our  duty.  But  we  did 
not  obey  we  sent  a  committee  to  inform  the  President 
that  if  those  who  were  punished  were  not  restored  we 
should  leave  College.  He  refused,  like  a  good  friend,  any 
mediation  till  we  had  returned  to  our  duty.  On  Satur- 
day 15  inst.  the  most  learned  of  his  subjects  caused 
them  to  retract  by  their  powerful  eloquence.  We  pre- 
sented a  legal  instrument  to  the  Wise  men  for  the  resto- 
ration of  those  who  were  punished.  They  would  not 
hear  us.  Wednesday  19  inst.  our  class  went  to  the  Presi- 
dent, four  by  four,  requesting  him  to  dismiss  us,  but  he 
refused.  We  were  determined  to  go  dismissed  or  not 
but  opportunely  the  Hon.  Judge  Bourne  interposed,  and 
we  consented  to  return,  till  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
corporation,  which  is  next  week.  What  will  be  the  de- 
termination is  very  doubtful.  If  they  do  not  submit,  in 
part,  we  shall  quit  without  any  cerimony. 

"  I  am  Sir  yos.  sincerely 

"  Moses  Miller  " 

"P.  S.  The  authority  have  acted  wisely  but  the  cor- 
poration have  acted  passionately." 

When  the  newspapers  and  the  town-tattle  of  to-day 
busy  themselves  with  "  outrageous  and  unprecedented 
doings  on  the  hill,"  let  us  smile  as  we  recall  this  our  last 
glimpse  into  the  student  life  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

Theodore  Fraueis  Green,  i88y. 


Memories  of  Brown  35 


Exhibitions  in  the  Old  Town  House 


SOME  fifty  years  ago  (about  1801)  the  college  was  a 
public  institution.  Everybody  expressed  an  inter- 
est in  it,  and  everything  was  done  to  interest  the 
public  in  it.  In  all  its  festivals,  something  was  ad- 
dressed to  the  people,  something  to  catch  the  attention 
of  the  multitude  and  to  please,  if  you  choose,  even  the 
rabble,  and  thereby  to  raise  an  aspiration,  if  possible,  that 
their  children  might  partake  of  the  advantages  of  educa- 
tion. 

Many  a  time  have  I  attended  "  exhibitions  "  of  the  under- 
graduates, in  the  old  town  house.  On  these  occasions, 
a  temporary  stage  was  erected  in  front  of  the  pulpit,  and 
some  neighbor  was  called  upon  for  the  loan  of  a  carpet, 
to  cover  the  naked  boards.  In  the  southeast  corner,  un- 
der the  gallery,  was  the  dressing-room,  screened  from 
vulgar  eyes  by  a  fair  chintz  curtain.  From  behind  this 
came  forth  the  youthful  orators,  who  have  since  edified 
churches  and  charmed  senates  and  courts,  trembling  like 
aspen  leaves,  and  blushing  like  young  maidens.  Gener- 
ally, a  part  of  two  classes  appeared.  The  sophomores 
spouted  "  select  pieces,"  with  tone  and  emphasis  and 
manner  which  would  make  the  heart  of  the  author  ache 
again ;  at  least,  so  I  think  now.  Then  I  formed  a  differ- 
ent opinion,  more  in  unison  with  that  of  the  speakers. 
The  juniors  appeared  in  "  original  pieces,"  as  did  also  the 
seniors.  At  the  close,  a  select  number  from  each  "  acted 
a  play  "  or  "  spoke  a  dialogue,"  dressed  in  character. 
TThere  in  the  pulpit  sat  the  president  and  the  professors 


36 


Mi 


67? I  ones  0 


>fB 


row7i 


and  the  tutors  (there  were  tutors  in  college  then)  all  as 
stiff  and  staid,  as  sober  and  as  grave,  as  masters  of  arts  and 
doctors  in  divinity  ought  to  be,  and  they  wore  these  literary 
honors  with  complacency  at  least.  They  never  dared  "to 
go  to  the  theatre  "  if  they  wished  to  ever  so  much ;  public 
opinion  would  have  resented  such  an  act,  and  there  was 


Old  Town  House.  Southwest  corner  Benefit  and  College  Streets 

Built  for  First  Congregational  Church,  1723;  used  as  Town  House  1795  till  1860, 

when  it  was  demolished.      Site  of  present  County  Court  House 


no  "  Museum  "  then ;  no,  that  is  the  result  of  progress 
long  since  then.  And  so  these  grave  and  reverend  mas- 
ters and  doctors  from  the  pulpit  would  look  on,  and  some- 
times smile  to  see  their  pupils  "  act."  Over  the  dressing- 
room,  in  the  gallery,  usually  sat  the  musicians,  as  many 
in  number  as  the  exhibitors  could  afford  to  hire,  who 
would  occasionallv  discourse  such  music  as  is  now  seldom 


Mi 


e?}iories 


of  B 


row  71 


37 


heard.  I  have  seen  that  old  town  house  crowded  as  full 
of  ladies,  bright-eyed  ladies  too,  and  gentlemen  as  the 
"  Old  Baptist "  used  to  be  on  the  afternoon  of  commence- 
ment day ;  not  a  vacant  seat  in  those  old  square  pews  nor 
a  place  to  stand  in  those  broad  aisles.  At  each  outside 
door  stood  a  doorkeeper,  a  constable  generally,  if  the 
thief-taking  business,  not  so  pressing  in  those  days  as  now, 
allowed  them  leisure  to  be  there.  These  demanded  "  the 
tickets  "  of  all  who  proposed  to  go  in.  On  these  tickets 
were  printed  the  name  of  the  class  or  classes  exhibiting, 
the  where  and  the  when,  with  a  notice  at  the  bottom, 
"Children  positively  not  admitted."  Notwithstanding 
this,  very  many  less  than  duodecimo  copies  of  humanity 
were  smuggled  in. 

These  exhibition  days  were  a  kind  of  half-holydays  to 
boys  and  girls.  Schools  were  not  closed,  it  is  true,  but 
they  might  as  well  have  been,  for  few  besides  the  instruc- 
tors attended  them.  Many  an  old  woman  looked  forward 
to  the  profits  on  her  molasses-candy  sales  on  these  days, 
as  the  means  of  providing  her  some  of  the  luxuries  of  life, 
for  boys  expected  and  had  coppers  and  afterwards  cents 
on  these  occasions  as  they  did  on  "artillery  elections" 
and  other  training  days. 

Providence  Jcnunial,  July  /,  1851. 


38  Memories  of  Brown 


College  and  Town  in  1819 


THE  COLLEGE  has  undergone  many  important 
changes  since  the  first  quarter  of  the  century. 
During  my  residence  there,  old  University  Hall 
and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Messer's  barn  were  the  only 
buildings  on  the  campus.  The  president's  house  was 
inside  of  the  college  grounds,  and  his  horse  and  cow  kept 
the  grass  low\  At  that  time  there  were  one  hundred 
students,  all  of  whom  slept  and  studied  in  the  college, 
and  most  of  them,  except  city  students,  took  their  meals 
there.  The  late  Joseph  Cady,  the  steward,  provided  for 
every  want,  and  at  the  close  of  the  term  assessed  the 
expense  per  week  upon  each  student,  which  never  ex- 
ceeded $1.40.  It  cost  very  little  more  to  carry  a  young 
man  through  college  then  than  one  year  costs  since  board 
in  college  was  given  up.  There  was  a  vacation  of  two 
months  from  Christmas,  to  which  many  students  were 
permitted  to  add  another  month,  when,  by  keeping  school, 
they  earned  enough  to  pay  their  board  for  the  whole  year. 
Great  changes  have  occurred  in  that  portion  of  the 
town  lying  between  Thayer  street,  East  avenue  and  the 
Seekonk  river.  The  whole  of  that  large  space  then  con- 
sisted of  unoccupied  meadows  and  pastures.  As  the 
chief  pastime  of  the  students  in  those  days,  before  boating 
and  playing  ball  were  introduced,  consisted  in  walking  to 
the  Red  Bridge,  through  Angell  street,  we  became  very 
familiar  with  its  beautiful  springtime  appearance.  The 
only  houses  then  visible  from  the  college  in  the  above- 
named   space   were   those   of   my   father-in-law,   Colonel 


M, 


em  ones  oi 


B 


rown 


39 


Alexander  Jones,  Governor  Fenner's  and  Moses  Brown's, 
the  last  since  destroyed  by  fire.  No  other  street  but 
Angell  then  led  directly  to  the  river.  What  is  now 
Waterman  street  was  chiefly  a  pasture  for  horses.  A 
footpath  led  through  it  to  Angell,  which  I  travelled  every 
Sunday  in  going  to  St.  John's  Church. 


Albert  Gorton  Greene,   1820 
Author  of  "  Old  Grimes  " 

The  only  houses  on  Prospect  street  were  those  of 
Colonel  Thomas  Halsey  and  his  son-in-law.  Captain 
Creighton.  From  George  street  to  Power,  through 
Brown,  the  brick  house  then  occupied  by  Mr.  Moses 
Eddy  was  the  only  one  erected  on  the  latter,  and  on 
College  street  as  far  as  Benefit  the  only  house  was  that 
occupied  by  a  Mr.  Jenckes. 

Sanmcl  Brcnton  S/iazu,  i8ig. 


Horace  Mann,   1819 
Statue  in  front  of  the  Massachusetts  State  House 


Memories  of  Brown 


Horace  Mann,  1819 


MY  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Mann  commenced  in 
Providence  in  the  fall  of  1816.  We  then  both  en- 
tered the  sophomore  class  of  Brown  University, 
and  soon  contracted  a  friendship,  which,  on  my 
part  certainly,  continued  during  his  life.  During  the  last 
two  years  of  our  college  life  we  were  chums,  occupying  room 
No.  30  in  University  Hall.  We  were  both  of  mature,  and  I 
believe  about  the  same,  age.  Having  been  brought  up  in 
the  country  (he  in  Franklin,  and  I  in  Oxford,  Mass.,)  it 
was  perhaps  rather  due  to  our  early  education  than  other- 
wise that  the  dissipations  of  neither  the  college  nor  the 
city  had  any  controlling  attractions  for  us.  During  the 
three  years  of  our  college  life,  I  recollect  not  a  single  in- 
stance of  impropriety  on  his  part. 

Perhaps  I  ought  to  confess  one  college  sin,  if  sin  it  be 
deemed.  The  students  had  long  been  in  the  habit  of 
celebrating  the  Fourth  of  July  in  the  chapel.  In  our 
junior  or  senior  year,  arrangements  were  made  for  the 
accustomed  celebration.  The  college  government  for- 
bade it.  A  majority  of  the  students  went  for  resisting  the 
government.  I  went  for  loyalty.  But  my  chum,  being  a 
little  the  more  impulsive,  and  having  been  chosen  the 
orator  for  the  occasion,  went  for  independence  and  the 
celebration  of  it.  The  procession  was  formed  in  the  col- 
lege yard.  I  concluded  that,  if  there  must  be  rebellion, 
I  had  better  rebel  against  the  college  government  than 
against  the  majority  of  my  fellow-students.  I  took  the 
front  rank  in  the  procession ;  helped  to  open  the  chapel 


42  Memories  of  Brown 

door;  and  chum  went  in,  and  delivered  his  oration  amidst 
great  applause.  A  trifling  fine  was  imposed  upon  him ; 
but  he  lost  no  credit  with  either  the  students  or  the  gov- 
ernment. 

I  believe  he  afterwards  vindicated  the  principles  of 
subordination  in  college  government.  But  I  trust  that 
our  Fourth-of-July  rebellion  never  gave  him  any  serious 
remorse  of  conscience ;  it  certainly  never  troubled  mine. 
There  are  cases  when  generous  sentiment  pleads  strongly 
for  an  amnesty  of  the  fault  of  violating  strict  discipline. 

Notwithstanding  Mr.  Mann  entered  college  under  the 
disadvantage  of  going  into  an  advanced  class,  he  soon  as- 
sumed the  first  place  in  it.  He  had  been  remarkably  well 
fitted  in  the  languages  under  an  instructor  of  some  note  ; 
I  think,  by  the  name  of  Barrett.  I  never  heard  a  student 
translate  the  Greek  and  Roman  classics  with  greater  facil- 
ity, accuracy  and  elegance.  As  we  should  expect,  he  was 
a  fine  writer;  and,  as  we  should  not  expect  from  that 
circumstance,  he  also  excelled  in  the  exact  sciences. 

My  chum  possessed  qualities  of  a  high  order.  By  this 
means  he  attracted  the  attention  and  secured  the  respect, 
not  only  of  the  members  of  our  own  class,  but  of  members 
of  the  other  classes  in  college.  Our  room  was  the  centre 
of  much  good  company,  except  in  study  hours ;  and  I 
sometimes  almost  wished  that  I  had  not  so  interesting 
and  attractive  a  room-mate.  But  I  felt  much  more  than 
compensated  by  his  intelligence,  and  by  the  fact  that  the 
company  his  genial  manners  invited  were  from  amongst 
the  best  young  men  in  the  college. 

Ira  Moore  Barton,  iSig. 


• 


Memories  of  Brown  43 


Samuel  Gridley  Howe,  1821^" 


MY  father  in  due  time  was  ready  for  college. 
Harvard  was  strongly  Federalist,  and  no  son 
of  my  grandfather's  should  go  there.  These 
were  hard  times  in  the  family,  and  only  one  of 
the  three  boys  could  be  sent  to  college ;  my  grandfather's 
method  of  deciding  among  the  three  was  characteristic 
of  the  man.  Calling  them  up  before  him,  he  opened  the 
big  Family  Bible,  and  bade  each  in  turn  read  a  chapter 
aloud.  "  The  one  who  reads  best,"  he  said,  "shall  go  to 
college." 

Probably  there  was  little  doubt  as  to  the  choice,  for 
my  father  was  always  an  admirable  reader ;  at  all  events, 
it  fell  upon  him.  Joseph  went  into  business,  Edward  to 
sea,  while  Samuel  entered  Brown  University,  in  18 18,  in 
the  seventeenth  year  of  his  age. 

My  father  always  spoke  of  his  college  days  with  a  curi- 
ous mixture  of  real  regret  and  humorous  pleasure.  He 
was  truly  sorry  that  he  had  not  studied  harder,  had  not 
turned  to  better  account  the  precious  years  whose  value 
he  came  to  know  so  well  in  later  life;  and  yet  —  he  had 
had  such  a  "  good  time  ! "  He  w^as  born  with  a  passion 
and  a  talent  for  practical  joking,  which  never  left  him 
through  life  ;  and  he  gave  full  swing  to  both  during  the 
years  at  Providence.  It  could  not  be  helped.  The  very 
ardor  of  temperament  which  led  him  on  from  scrape  to 

*  Reprinted,  by  permission,  from  "  Letters  and  Journals  of  Samuel  Gridley 
Howe,  edited  by  his  daughter,  Laura  E.  Richards." 


44  Memories  of  Brown 

scrape  was  that  which  later  was  to  carry  him  through  fire 
and  water,  to  sustain  him  — 

"  In  the  prison  of  the  Kaiser, 
By  the  barricades  of  Seine." 

But  the  college  authorities  could  not  be  expected  to  un- 
derstand this.  When  the  president's  horse  was  led  up 
to  the  very  top  of  one  of  the  college  buildings  and 
left  there  over  night,  or  when  ink  was  squirted  through  a 
keyhole  at  a  too  curious  tutor  whose  eye  happened  to 
be  on  the  other  side,  the  authorities  only  felt  that  here 
was  a  naughty  lad  who  was  getting  himself  and  others 
into  trouble,  and  bringing  discredit  upon  the  college ; 
and  Sam  Howe  was  rusticated  once  and  again. 

These  were  what  he  in  later  life  called  "  monkey  shines." 
He  regretted  them,  as  I  have  said,  but  there  was  no 
keeping  the  twinkle  out  of  his  eye,  as  he  told  how  funny 
the  old  horse  looked,  stretching  his  meek  head  out  of 
the  fourth-story  window,  and  whinnying  mournfully  to 
his  amazed  master  passing  below. 

Many  years  after,  my  father,  being  in  Providence  at 
commencement  time,  went  to  call  on  his  old  president. 
Doctor  Messer,  then  living  in  retirement,  for  the  express 
purpose  of  apologizing  to  him  for  the  "  monkey  shines." 
The  old  gentlemen  received  him  with  a  look  of  alarm, 
and,  motioning  him  to  a  chair,  took  his  own  seat  at  some 
distance,  and  kept  a  wary  eye  on  his  former  pupil.  My 
father  began  his  apology,  but  Doctor  Messer  interrupted 
him. 

"  I  declare,  Howe,"  he  cried,  moving  his  chair  still 
further  back,  "  I  am  afraid  of  you  now  !  I'm  afraid  there 
will  be  a  torpedo  under  my  chair  before  I  know  it." 

My  father  used  to  tell  this  story  with  great  gusto ;  and 
he  was  apt  to  follow  it  up  with  another,  telling  us  how. 


Memories  of  Brown  45 

some  years  after  leaving  college,  he  chanced  to  meet  an  old 
classmate,  who  exclaimed,  "  You  must  be  Sam  Howe ! " 

"  I  am  his  son!"  said  my  father,  quietly. 

"His  son!"  cried  the  poor  man.  "  Good  heavens !  I 
must  be  an  old  fellow  indeed,  if  Sam  Howe  can  have  a 
son  as  old  as  you  are." 

Another  classmate,  Doctor  Caswell  (himself  at  one 
time  president  of  Brown  University,)  has  thus  described 
my  father's  personality  in  his  college  days : 

"  He  was  a  mere  stripling,  but  nature  had  been  gener- 
ous in  giving  him  an  attractive  physique.  He  was  of 
middling  height,  slender  in  form,  erect,  agile,  and  elastic 
in  his  movements.  With  fine  features,  a  fresh,  pink  com- 
plexion, a  keen  blue  eye,  full  of  purpose  and  meaning, 
and  of  mirth  as  well,  with  open,  frank  and  genial  manners, 
he  could  not  fail  to  win  the  kind  regard  of  his  youthful 
companions.  He  showed  mental  capabilities  which  should 
naturally  fit  him  for  fine  scholarship.  His  mind  was 
quick,  versatile  and  inventive.  I  do  not  think  he  was 
deficient  in  logical  power,  but  the  severer  studies  did  not 
seem  to  be  congenial  to  him.  In  all  practical  matters  he 
saw  intuitively  and  at  a  glance  what  was  the  best  thing 
to  be  done.  In  any  strait  or  difficulty,  or  any  sudden 
emergency  of  danger,  if  there  was  any  possible  way  of 
escape,  nobody  need  inform  him  what  it  was.  Before 
anybody  else  had  time  to  think,  his  plan  was  formed." 


46  Memories  of  Bro 


wn 


College  Pranks  in  the  Early  Twenties 


IN  the  early  twenties  a  snow  storm  occurred  of  such 
severity  as  to  lay  an  absolute  embargo  on  all  country 
trade  with  the  town  of  Providence.  One  result  was 
that  the  price  of  wood  went  up  to  fourteen  dollars  a 
cord.  The  farmers  who  first  penetrated  the  encircling 
drifts  secured  this  amount  for  their  loads,  but  on  the 
second  day  the  value  of  the  fuel  depreciated  one  entire 
dollar.  A  less  energetic,  but  equally  avaricious,  farmer, 
who  then  appeared,  traversed  the  streets  the  entire  day 
in  a  vain  attempt  to  secure  the  tiptop  price.  In  order 
to  avoid  drawing  his  load  home  and  back  again,  he  asked 
President  Messer  if  he  could  not  leave  his  sled  in  the 
yard  back  of  the  college.  University  Hall  then  stood  in 
solitary  grandeur.  Permission  was  readily  accorded,  so 
the  man  drove  his  sled  to  the  designated  spot,  unyoked 
his  oxen,  and  with  guileless  thought  started  for  home. 
Returning  for  his  load  next  morning,  he  found  neither 
wood  nor  sled  nor  yet  tracks  indicative  of  their  mode  of 
departure.  After  long  and  anxious  search,  he  chanced 
to  look  up,  when  he  espied  his  property  exactly  as  he 
had  left  it,  save  that  meanwhile  it  had  taken  to  itself 
wings  and  fiown  to  the  roof  of  the  venerable  structure 
where  it  rested  peacefully  and  securely. 

In  those  days  the  Scripture  lesson  was  read  at  morning 
prayers  from  the  Greek  Testament  by  members  of  the 
freshman  class.  The  extent  was  twenty  verses  from  that 
last  read  on  the  preceding  day.  Three  or  four  mornings 
after  the  opening  of  the  academic  year  a  neophyte  was 


M. 


emories 


o/B 


rown 


47 


at  a  point  now  indicated  by  the  crossing'  of  Waterman 
and  Benefit  streets,  when  the  college  bell  rang.  He 
started  at  full  speed  across  lots  and  succeeded  in  enter- 
ing the  chapel  as  the  janitor  closed  its  doors.     No  sooner 

had   he  taken   his   seat 

than  he  heard  his  name 
pronounced  by  the  pres- 
ident. Continuing  the 
same  energetic  activity 
he  had  been  exhibiting 
the  preceding  three 
minutes,  he  sprang  to 
his  feet  and  went 
through  the  twenty 
verses  with  unsurpassed 
rapidity.  On  pausing, 
the  president  kindly 
prompted.  "  The  ex- 
tent, sir !  "  was  the  im- 
mediate  rejoinder. 
"Humph!  Let  us  pray!" 
ejaculated  Dr.  Messerin 
his  gruffest  tones.  How- 
ever, he  did  not  disturb 
that  student  again  dur- 
ing the  entire  term. 
In  very  ancient  times,  the  college  chapel  occupied  what 
is  now  the  two  lower  floors  of  the  front  projection  of 
University  Hall,  the  second  furnishing  the  galleries. 
Junior  exhibition,  then  as  later,  was  a  most  important 
occasion.  As  the  seating  capacity  was  limited,  numerous 
exercises  not  laid  down  in  the  programme  were  held  on 
the  front  campus.  On  one  occasion  as  Dr.  Messer  was 
presiding  with  all  the  pompous  dignity  which  character- 
ized his  every  act,  his  attention  was  attracted  by  repeated 


President  Asa  Messer,    1790 
From  the  portrait  in  Sayles  Hall 


48 


M 


emories  Oi 


B 


rown 


outbursts  of  enthusiastic  vociferations  upon  the  front 
campus.  Glancing  out  as  well  as  his  exalted  enthrone- 
ment permitted,  he  discovered  that  his  old  but  faithful 
white  horse,  ornamented  with  the  letters  "A.  M."  painted 
so  as  practically  to  cover  each  entire  side,  was  being 
driven  around  haphazard  by  the  crowd,  which  naturally 
interpreted  the  cabalistic  symbols  as  signifying  the  bearer 
was  none  other  than  Asa  Messer,  or  at  the  very  least  a 
Master  of  Arts.  Of  course,  under  the  circumstances,  the 
president  could  do  nothing  but  scowl ! 

On  a  certain  commencement  day,  the  exercises  in  the 
First  Baptist  Meeting- House  were  somewhat  disturbed 
by  mock  applause  on  the  part  of  the  undergraduates.  The 
patience  of  President  Messer  was  at  last  exhausted,  and, 
turning  towards  them,  he  jerked  out  in  a  gruff  voice : 
"  Gentlemen,  I  want  just  as  little  noise  as  can  possibly 
be  brought  about !  "  The  outburst  of  genuine  applause 
was  terrific  and  long  lasting. 

George  B.  Peck,  1S64. 


Providence  about  1820 
University  Hall  at  the  right  on  the  horizon 


Memories  of  Brown  49 

High  Old  Times  at  Commencement 

in    1827 


AS  many  of  our  distant  readers  may  not  be  ac- 
quainted with  a  Rhode  Island  Commencement, 
or  in  other  words,  with  the  nature  of  the  doings 
of  that  day,  in  which  the  annual  commencement 
of  Brown  University  is  celebrated,  we  will  for  their 
special  "benefit  and  behalf,"  attempt  to  afford  them  a 
slight  sketch,  which  shall  not  be  exaggerated,  falsely  col- 
ored, or  shaded,  for  the  sake  of  producing,  what  Mr.  Sum- 
ner Lincoln  Fairfield  is  pleased  to  call  "  effect."  This  an- 
nual festival,  gala,  or  by  whatever  name  you  may  be  pleased 
to  call  it,  conducted  as  it  is  at  present,  and  producing  the 
excitement  that  it  does,  is  to  our  minds,  destitute  of 
moral  instruction,  and  is  calculated  to  demoralize,  and  to 
introduce  pernicious  and  baleful  practices  among  a  vir- 
tuous and  industrious  people. 

It  is  not  to  the  occasion,  that  we  take  exceptions,  but 
it  is  to  the  manner  in  which  it  is  managed,  that  we  now 
enter  our  candid  protest.  That  the  anniversary  of  a 
Literary  Institution,  should  be  celebrated,  in  order  that 
those  who  are  attached  to  its  interests,  may  have  an 
opportunity  of  mingling,  and  of  renewing  former  associa- 
tions, and  that  they  who  are  about  to  leave  its  walls, 
should  have  an  opportunity  of  making  a  display  of  their 
talents,  and  of  their  advances  towards  the  founts  of  learn- 
ing, are  propositions,  to  which  we  yield  our  cordial  assent ; 
but,  in  the  name  of  all  mercies,  we  would  ask,  is  it  neces- 
sary to  the  accomplishment  of  such  ends,  that  a  whole 
community,  and  nearly  a  whole  state,  should  be  thrown 


50  Memories  of  Brown 

into  a  state  of  utter  confusion?  Certainly  not;  and  as 
we  cannot  conceive  any  good  reason  for  the  present 
management  of  our  commencements,  we  hope,  that  the 
present  absurd  and  ridiculous  plan,  will  be  abolished,  as 
speedily  as  practicable. 

The  annual  anniversary  of  the  commenement  of  Brown 
University  begins  to  make  its  appearance  in  visible 
effects  about  the  first  Monday  in  September,  and  they 
remain  indelibly  imprinted  on  the  feelings  of  the  com- 
munity, something  like  a  fortnight ; — and  there  are  some, 
that  sensibly  feel  its  effects  for  a  much  longer  period. 
At  the  early  part  of  the  week,  carriages,  steam-boats, 
sloops  and  schooners,  are  put  in  requisition,  and  thus  in  a 
little  period,  "  confusion  doubly  confused  "  is  introduced 
among  us,  and  before  the  day  of  celebration  arrives,  the 
town  is  thronged  with  strangers,  whose  professed  object 
in  coming  among  us,  is  to  witness  the  performance  of  the 
day.  When  arrived  here,  not  one  half  of  them  have  an 
opportunity  of  gratifying  their  curiosity,  and  ten  chances 
to  one,  if  all  are  not  sadly  disappointed  in  their  expecta- 
tions. 

The  utility  of  making  a  public  display  of  the  talents 
and  acquirements  of  the  graduates  of  Brown  University, 
is  freely  admitted,  but  then  it  must  be  apparent  to  every 
reflecting  mind,  that  the  present  mode  is  not  only  inex- 
pedient but  improper.  As  things  are  now  managed,  a 
procession  is  formed  at  the  University  Halls,  and  to  the 
sounds  of  martial  music,  march  to  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
where  amid  a  vast  deal  of  ostentatious  parade,  the  young 
gentlemen  are  introduced  to  the  public,  and  are  allowed 
to  give  specimens  of  their  rhetorical  and  declamatory 
powers. 

The  procession  thus  formed,  is  composed  of  the  re- 
spectable classes  of  the  community,  and  of  strangers, 
arranged  according  to  their  rank,  wealth  and  condition. 


Memories  of  B?^0'W7i  51 

and  are  thus  placed  before  the  world  to  receive  its  gaze, 
and  to  listen  for  the  plaudits  of  the  million.  Arrived  at 
the  church,  after  a  deal  of  useless  ceremony  and  parade, 
their  respective  stations  are  assigned,  and  after  a  prayer 
to  the  Throne  of  Grace  is  offered,  a  Latin  Salutatory  is 
delivered  by  some  forward  and  talented  young  man, 
which  perhaps  is  understood  by  a  half  dozen  of  the 
audience,  and  those  who  cannot  understand  it,  think  it 
must,  of  course,  be  very  good,  simply  because  they  do  not 
comprehend  one  sentence  of  the  speaker.  The  orders  of 
the  day,  between  Latin  and  indistinct  English  are  carried 
into  execution,  and  when  all  is  closed,  we  have  a  Latin 
Valedictory,  and  the  conferring  of  degrees,  which  is  also 
executed  in  Latin,  and  then  the  procession  is  again 
formed  and  retires  to  the  college. 

We  do  not  object  to  the  introduction  of  Latin  essays 
and  addresses  on  occasions  like  these,  from  mere  affecta- 
tion, but  because  we  think,  that  when  a  vast  multitude  is 
assembled,  it  is  very  proper  to  address  them  in  a  language 
which  they  can  understand,  and  at  the  same  time  impart 
to  them,  some  idea  of  the  merits  and  talents  of  the  aspir- 
ant for  literary  honor. 

Of  the  vast  concourse  who  visit  the  town  on  commence- 
ment day,  but  a  very  small  proportion  care  a  farthing 
about  the  literary  exercises;  they  come  only  to  see  and  to 
be  seen  —  to  indulge  in  hilarity,  fun  and  frolic — to  visit 
their  relatives,  the  theatre,  and  the  circus ;  and  then  re- 
turn to  their  homes,  without  deriving  the  least  benefit. 

The  lower  and  disorderly  classes  of  society,  make  the 
whole  an  affair  of  amusement,  drink  to  excess,  quarrel  and 
fight,  neglect  their  useful  employments,  get  bloody  noses, 
and  a  night's  lodging  at  the  bridewell.  In  the  midst  of 
the  scenes  of  bustle  and  confusion,  pickpockets  are  busily 
employed  at  their  vocation,  infamous  women  throng  the 
town,  counterfeiters,  thieves  and   swindlers   are   on   the 


52 


Mi 


emortes  O) 


B 


rown 


alert,  and  the  whole  town  is  infested  with  a  visit  from  all 
of  the  dregs  of  creation,  who  come  among  us  only  to  dep- 
redate and  destroy. 

All  the  evils  which  are  engendered  by  the  celebration 
of  commencement,  could   be  very  easily  obviated,  if  the 

thing  were  managed  in  a 
different  manner;  if  the 
trustees  of  the  college 
would  cause  the  com- 
mencement to  be  cele- 
brated in  some  chapel 
or  convenient  place  at- 
tached to  the  Univer- 
sity buildings;  and  then 
the  day  would  pass  off 
in  soberness  and  propri- 
ety, to  the  infinite  ad- 
vantage of  the  student, 
and  to  the  credit  of  the 
town. 

Beside    the    immoral 
effects  produced  by  the 


Horatio  Gates  Bowen,   1797 
University  Librarian,   1824-40 


celebration,  the  im- 
mense sums  in  money 
and  labour  it  costs  would 
be  saved,  and  might  be  applied  to  better  purposes  than 
those  of  vice  and  dissipation.  The  loss  in  labour  alone 
may  be  safely  computed  at  twenty  thousand  dollars ;  —  in 
money  almost  double  that  amount;  —  and  yet  all  this  is 
squandered  away  to  celebrate  the  annual  commencement 
of  Brown  University,  without  saying  anything  about  the 
loss  of  reputation,  hats,  umbrellas,  blood  and  the  senses. 


Literary  Cadets  September  8,  182^/. 


Mi 


emortes 


of  Bro 


wn 


53 


Essay-Burning  in  1831 


Y  GRANDFATHER,  Jo- 
seph Cady,  was  steward  of 
Brown  University  from 
1 81 2  to  1826.  The  first 
year  he  bought  a  lot  on 
George  street  of  a  Mrs. 
Sarah  Hopkins,  who  owned 
a  good  deal  of  land  now 
belonging  to  the  college. 
Her  house  stood  where 
the  west  part  of  Rhode  Island  Hall  now  stands,  Mr. 
Cady's  on  the  east  part.  A  narrow  lane  ran  between  the 
two  houses  until  it  lost  itself  at  the  turnstile  leading  on 
to  the  front  campus.  Mr.  Cady's  garden  extended  up  to 
the  site  of  Slater  Hall. 

The  first  thing  I  remember  about  college  affairs  was  the 
burning  of  the  essays  by  the  students  when  I  was  about 
seven  years  old.  It  was  probably  at  the  end  of  the  spring 
term  of  1831.  Commencement  was  then  the  first  Wed- 
nesday in  September.  One  morning  I  noticed  two  tall 
poles  standing  on  the  east  side  of  Hope  College  with 
bundles  of  white  paper  tied  on  them.  Soon  I  heard 
music,  and  running  up  the  garden  promptly  climbed  the 
fence  to  investigate.  A  procession  of  students,  dressed 
in  fantastic  costumes,  came  around  University  Hall,  not 
a  lengthy  procession  like  those  of  the  present  day,  but 
quite  as  enthusiastic,  and  the  music  (probably  Washing- 
ton's March,  as  that  was  always  played  on  great  occasions) 
was  very  inspiriting.    They  went  by  the  old  well  up  the  back 


54 


Memories  of  Brown 


campus  and  halted; 
probably  there  were 
speeches.  Then  the 
papers  were  lighted, 
and  made  a  very  pretty 
bonfire.  I  was  told 
afterw^ards  that  the 
bundles  contained  the 
essays  that  the  students 
had  written  during  the 
year.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber ever  seeing  such  a 
procession  afterwards. 
Mr.  Cady's  house 
stood  on  George  street 
until  after  his  death  in 
1862.  In  1866  the  lot 
was  exchanged  for  one 
on  Prospect  street  and 
the  old  house  com- 
menced a  journey 
across  the  back  campus 
to  a  new  location.  As 
there  were  no  buildings 
to  be  endangered  then, 
the  students  conceived 
the  brilliant  idea  of  set- 
ting it  on  fire  and  hav- 
ing an  illumination 
worth  while.  The 
police,  however,  found  out  the  plot  and  had  a  guard  around 
the  house  all  night.  The  next  day  it  was  moved  on  and 
it  now  stands  on  Waterman  street  numbered  72. 

May  II,  1908.  Susan  B.  Ely.* 

*  Daughter  of  Thomas  Backus,  1819,  and  widow  of  Dr.  J.  W.  C.  Ely,  1S42. 


Joseph  Cady 
Steward,  1812-26 


Memories  of  Brown  55 


The  ''Tallow-Candle  Illumination" 


How  well  do  we  remember  the  time  when  we 
made  one  of  the  vast  crowd  of  '  literati '  of 
all  ages,  sexes,  conditions  and  colors,  who  on 
the  university  grounds  witnessed  and  en- 
joyed that  ever  memorable  '  tallow-candle  illumination ' 
on  the  Tuesday  night  preceding  commencement  day. 
W^ith  what  mingled  emotions  of  awe,  admiration  and  de- 
light (we  were  younger  in  those  days  than  we  are  now)  did 
we  listen  to  the  '  full  band  '  posted  on  the  platform,  and  con- 
template the  astonishing  skill  of  the  gifted  men  who  could 
discourse  such  scientific  music  as  Washington's  March 
through  the  mysterious  convolutions  of  the  bugle,  the 
French  horn  and  the  serpent !  The  dazzling  brilliancy 
of  the  illumination,  as  it  suddenly  burst  upon  the  vision 
at  the  sound  of  the  college  bell,  was  overwhelming ;  the 
bright  eyes  and  blithesome  beauty  of  the  girls  was  per- 
fectly inspiring;  the  jokes  of  the  gallants  capital;  the  jol- 
lity of  the  white  and  colored  spectators  refreshing  in  the 
highest  degree ;  and  the  sudden  extinguishment  of  the 
candles  at  the  signal  for  the  closing  show  startling,  if  not 
appalling,  while  the  promiscuous  descent  of  the  vast 
crowd  through  College  street,  at  a  'hazardous  rate  of 
speed,'  and  without  the  benefit  of  any  other  gas  than  that 
emanating  from  the  mouths  of  a  race  of  wags  now  quite 
extinct,  constituted  a  finale  at  once  extremely  ludicrous 
and  dangerously  interesting.  It  never  failed  to  give  both 
strangers  and  citizens  new  and  '  enlarged  views  of  men 
and  things.'     By  the  way,  the  country  people,  who  used  to 


56 


Mi 


emories  o 


ofB. 


rown 


come  into  town  in  wagon  loads  to  see  the  illumination 
and  hear  the  music,  always  supposed  that  the  college  can- 
dles were  real  wax.  They  were  nothing,  however,  but  the 
cheapest  kind  of  tallow  candles,  and  the  inexperienced 
young  gentlemen  of  the  freshman  class  generally  made 
shocking  work  of  them.  Not  only  the  window  seats  and 
the  floors  of  their  rooms,  but  their  boots,  hats  and  best 
clothes  were  all  covered  with  grease  for  days  afterwards. 
Bits  of  candles,  in  fact,  were  strewn  all  over  the  college 
campus  (the  students  used  to  throw  the  candle  ends  down 
upon  the  crowd  the  moment  the  bell  sounded  for  the  ex- 
tinguishment of  the  lights)  ;  and  there  was  nothing  but 
grease,  grease,  grease  from  campus  to  chambers,  from 
chambers  to  chapel,  from  chapel  to  Commons  Hall.  In 
truth  it  is  not  going  too  far  to  say  that  the  only  practical 
knowledge  of  Greece  some  of  the  young  men  ever  ob- 
tained at  the  university  was  the  knowledge  of  candle 
grease  on  the  occasion  of  the  ancient  and  admired  tallow 
candle  illumination. 

James  P.  Dunzuell,  18J4. 


OF 


Mi 


em  ones 


'es  of  B 


rown 


57 


Memories  of  1832-36 


ONE  of  the  pranks  of  the  students  which  I  took  no 
part  in,  but  remember  well,  was  the  carrying  of 
President  Wayland's  cow  up  into  the  belfry  of 
University  Hall  and  tying  her  to  the  bell  so  that 
it   rang   wildly.      The   perpetrators  w^ere   never   known. 

In  Professor  Caswell's 
recitations  I  sat  in  the  third 
seat.  On  one  occasion  the 
student  next  me  was  un- 
prepared to  recite  so  he 
besought  me  saying,  "  Do 
ask  Caswell  a  question  to 
set  him  talking."  I  did  so, 
and  the  professor  talked 
all  the  period,  when  he 
closed  by  saying,  "  Gentle- 
men, we  have  passed  the 
hour  very  pleasantly  but 
have  made  no  progress 
with  the  lesson  for  the 
day.  Take  the  same  les- 
son to-morrow."  The 
class  passed  out  chuckling 
at  their  success  in  hood- 
winking the  professor. 
This  happened  not  once 
but  several  times. 
There  were   three    societies  among  the  students,   the 


Francis  Wayland 

As  he  was  when  he  assumed  the 

presidency  of  Brown  in  1827 


58  Memories  of  Brown 

United  Brothers,  the  FrankHn,  and  the  Philermenian. 
The  latter  was  the  largest  and  occupied  a  room  in  Hope, 
while  the  Franklin  society  had  a  smaller  adjoining  room. 
This  society  was  given  up  and  gave  the  use  of  its  room 
to  the  Philermenian,  which  of  course  it  had  no  right  to 
do.  Justin  R.  Loomis,  afterwards  president  of  Lewis- 
burg  University,  and  I  raised  by  subscription  $125.00  to 
refit  the  room  and  at  the  end  of  the  term  set  to  work  our- 
selves to  do  this.  Without  permission  from  anyone  we 
tore  down  the  partitions  between  the  two  rooms  and  threw 
the  debris  out  of  the  window.  Professor  Caswell  passing 
by  saw  it  and  came  to  inquire  into  the  affair.  He  made 
no  objections,  and  nothing  was  ever  heard  from  the  authori- 
ties. We  worked  incessantly,  painting  and  plastering, 
also  altering  the  book-cases,  which  had  stood  against  the 
partition,  to  fit  the  small  spaces.  Charles  C.  Jewett,  af- 
terwards librarian  of  the  university,  and  I  also  classified 
and  catalogued  the  books  and  arranged  them  in  the  re- 
built cases. 

The  class  of  1835  refused  so  strongly  to  receive  any  as- 
signment of  parts — "as  an  appeal  to  sinful  ambition" — 
that  only  three  of  its  members  received  their  degrees  at 
graduation, —  Jonah  G.  Warren,  S.  S.  Sumner  and  Ed- 
ward Stone.  Warren  afterwards  acceptably  filled  the 
position  of  secretary  of  a  missionary  union. 

The  class  of  1836  sympathized  with  them  and  drew  up 
a  paper  (which  I  think  was  signed  by  every  member  of 
our  class)  protesting  against  the  custom.  It  was  carried 
to  the  president's  house,  but  as  he  was  not  at  home  it  was 
left  there.  Nothing  was  ever  heard  from  it  and  at  gradu- 
ation every  student  took  his  position  and  received  his  de- 
gree as  though  no  resistance  had  been  made.  John  L. 
Lincoln  and  myself  obtained  the  signatures  to  the  paper. 

Jacob  R.  Scott  was  not  a  high-stand  scholar,  but  no  one 
else  could  write  such  pure  and  elegant  English  as  he,  as 


Memories  of  Brown  59 

he  afterwards  proved  by  his  able  pastorates  in  the  South 
and  in  Portland,  Me.,  and  Yonkers  and  Rochester,  N.  Y. 
At  the  latter  place  he  labored  efficiently  in  establishing 
the  university  and  the  theological  seminary. 

Under  the  influence  of  Jacob  Knapp  our  class  became 
strongly  excited  on  the  slavery  question,  some  taking  a 
stand  for  and  others  as  earnestly  against  it.  Professor 
Goddard  was  in  favor  of  slavery  and  showed  it  plainly 
in  class.  It  resulted  in  my  writing  my  essay  for  public 
declamation  at  the  close  of  the  term  on  anti-reform.  He 
accepted  it  all  but  the  last  portion,  which  he  cut  off.  On 
the  evening  assigned  for  my  essay,  I  gave  it  as  far  as  the 
portion  he  had  criticised,  when  I  said, — "  I  was  about  to 
speak  concerning  another  class  of  anti-reformers,  who, 
puffed  up  by  pride  of  office,  would  frighten  all  honest 
men  from  all  attempts  at  reform ;  but  as  this  is  forbidden 
I  refrain." 

S.  O.  Shepard  the  next  night  came  upon  the  platform 
with  his  essay,  which  had  been  severely  cut  by  the  pro- 
fessor, and  delivered  it  as  left  by  the  latter.  He  spoke  at 
the  close  saying,  "  I  deem  it  but  just  to  myself  to  say  that 
the  disconnected  and  disjointed  condition  of  my  essay  is 
due  to  the  criticism  of  the  professor." 

The  essays  attracted  the  attention  of  the  president,  who 
sent  for  Horace  T.  Love  (my  roommate)  and  learned  the 
whole  story  from  him.  We  saw  the  president,  with  head 
down  and  measured  tread,  as  was  his  custom  when  he  had 
anything  important  on  hand,  go  to  Professor  Goddard's 
house  and  soon  return. 

The  professor  shortly  afterward  came  to  recitation  and 
in  his  quick,  nervous  way  made  unfavorable  comments 
which  I  cannot  recall. 

At  the  last  service  of  the  year,  as  the  president  reviewed 
the  year's  occurrences,  he  said  of  me  in  substance,  "  One 
student  with  a  delicacy  and  modesty  peculiar  to  himself 


60 


M 


emortes  o, 


B 


rown 


has  presumed  publicly  to  question  the  criticisms  of  his 
professor."  Of  Shepard  he  spoke  in  a  similar  manner 
but  less  severely. 

The  year  after  graduation  I  went  every  Saturday  night 
to  the  president  for  exegesis  of  the  New  Testament.  As 
he  was  so  kind  to  me  I  ventured  once  to  refer  to  the  oc- 
currence, but  he  cut  me  short,  saying  quickly,  "  I  have 
forgotten  all  about  it ;  I  know  nothing  of  it." 

JVi/lia)u  Lawton  Broiviu  iS^6. 


Dictated,  May,  1908. 


Memories  oj  Brown  61 


In  the  Days  of  Wayland  and  Elton 


IT  seems  to  be  a  particularly  hard  matter  at  present  to 
maintain  the  discipline  and  to  preserve  the  good 
order  of  colleges.  Dr.  Wayland  never  had  the  least 
difficulty.  He  was  disobeyed  with  fear  and  trembling, 
and  the  boldest  did  not  care  to  encounter  his  frown. 
He  was  majestic  in  manner,  and  could  assume,  if  he 
pleased,  a  Rhadamanthine  severity.  It  was  a  calamity 
to  be  called  into  that  awful  presence;  and  no  student,  of 
whatever  character,  ever  made  the  least  pretence  of  not 
being  frightened  at  the  summons.  Such  bravado  nobody 
would  have  believed  in  ;  he  who  indulged  in  it  would  have 
been  laughed  at.  However  loosely  our  tongues  might 
wag,  we  thoroughly  respected  and  even  reverenced  the 
president ;  and  upon  public  occasions,  when  he  put  on 
his  academic  gown  and  cap,  we  were  rather  proud  of  his 
imposing  appearance. 

There  were  traditions  of  the  frightful  state  in  which 
he  found  the  university  upon  assuming  its  government, 
after  the  anarchy  of  Dr.  Messer's  time,  and  of  the  vigor 
with  which  he  reduced  it  to  order  and  studious  diligence. 
If  he  had  less  of  the  siiaviter  in  mode  than  of  the  fortiter 
in  n\  I  am  not  sure  that  there  was  any  reason  to  regret 
the  deficiency,  for  he  had  to  deal  with  thoughtless  young 
people  who  were  none  the  worse  for  feeling  the  heavy 
hand  of  a  master.  There  were  those  who  thought  his 
firmness  akin  to  obstinacy  ;  but  it  must  be  remembered 
that  he  was  a  man  of  profound  convictions,  of  fastidious 
conscience  and  of  opinions  not   lazily  arrived   at.      His 


62 


Memories  of  Brown 


temper  every  one  knew  to  be  naturally  hot  and  high,  but 
nobody  could  know  how  severely  it  was  tried,  or  what 
efforts  he  made  to  control  it.  In  his  later  days,  I  have 
been  told,  after  his  resignation,  he  exhibited  marked 
urbanity  and  sweetness  of  disposition.  Certainly  there 
were  small  traces  of  either  when  any  undergraduate  was 

detected  in  an  act  of  mean- 
ness or  a  flagrant  violation 
of  the  university  statutes. 
He  had  a  heavy  foot  for  a 
student's  door  when  it  was 
not  promptly  opened  after 
his  ofificial  knock.  Once, 
when  we  were  bent  upon 
illuminating  the  college  in 
honor  of  some  festive  occa- 
sion, and  contrary  to  his  ex- 
press injunctions,  he  ex- 
hibited his  abilities  in 
this  way  most  effectually. 
"  ^-dEquo  ptilsat  pcde','  we 
quoted  from  Horace  as  we 
fled  from  his  wrath, and  saw 
one  row  of  lights  extin- 
guished after  another.  We 
were  in  great  fear  of  sus- 
pension or  of  expulsion  for  some  days  after.  To  tell  the 
truth,  some  of  us,  with  reason  enough,  were  usually  in  a 
state  of  apprehension.  One  young  gentleman,  whose  con- 
science was  especially  cowardly  that  morning,  was  para- 
lyzed, as  he  was  crossing  the  campus,  by  hearing  his  name 
called  in  Boanergesian  style.  Heavens  !  it  was  the  doctor 
who  was  beckoning  to  him  !  He  thought  hurriedly  of  all 
his  misdemeanors  of  the  week  just  past ;  for  which  of  them 
was  he  now  to  be  brought  to  judgment  ?     What  was  his  as- 


President  Wayland 


Memories  of  Brown  63 

tonishment,  his  exquisite  sense  of  relief,  when  the  president 

merely  said,  "  C ,  have  you  a  chew  of  tobacco  to  spare  ?  " 

For  the  doctor  was  a  shameless  consumer  of  the  Indian 
weed  ;  and  some  intricate  speculation  in  philosophy  or 
theology  had  been  brought  to  a  sudden  standstill  by  an 
untimely  vacuum  in  the  doctor's  box. 

One  scans  with  a  kind  of  awe  the  marvellously  miscel- 
laneous curriculum  which  modern  ideas  of  liberal  educa- 
tion have  introduced  into  our  American  colleges.  The 
young  bachelors  must  know  a  little  of  a  great  many 
things.  In  my  time  it  was  Greek,  Latin  and  mathe- 
matics, and  mathematics,  Latin  and  Greek,  for  the  first 
two  years  at  least,  unless  the  superficial  instruction  in 
rhetoric  and  elocution  is  to  be  taken  into  account.  But  the 
limited  course,  which  is  now  held  in  such  small  esteem,  was 
far  from  contemptible  in  its  results.  It  is  all  very  well 
to  say  that  the  men  forget  their  Greek  and  Latin,  or  find 
neither  of  much  use  in  the  practical  business  of  after  life. 
The  grammar  and  vocabulary  they  may  forget,  but  the 
taste,  the  literary  sense,  the  critical  judgment  which, 
other  things  being  equal,  follow  early  classical  training, 
are  seldom  lost.  One  who  has  been  nurtured  when 
young  upon  such  diet  rarely  degenerates  into  a  mere 
Philistine.  In  Dr.  Horatio  B.  Hackett  we  had  a  classical 
teacher  of  distinguished  abilities  and  accomplishments. 
He  may  not  have  known  as  much  Latin  as  Gottlob  Heyne, 
nor  as  much  Greek  as  Dr.  Porson,  but  he  had  quite  enough 
of  both  for  our  young  stomachs,  especially  when  the  recita- 
tion was  before  breakfast.  I  used  to  think  him  a  man  of 
the  sixteenth  century.  He  should  have  been  employed  in 
that  kind  of  mastodonian  annotation  which  swelled  the 
spare  remains  of  Velleius  Paterculus  into  a  chubby 
quarto  of  a  thousand  pages.  Perhaps  it  was  not  altogether 
our  fault  if  we  could  not  relish  the  discussion  of  a  dis- 
puted   reading   of  Livy  or  of  Tacitus  as  he  relished  it. 


64 


M 


emories 


o/B 


rown 


He  lived  for  learning,  but  he  conscientiously  gave  all  his 
great  acquisitions  to  the  cause  of  sound  Christian 
knowledge.  As  he  was  accuracy  itself,  he  occupied  a 
high  position  among  the  American  reviewers  of  the 
English  Bible,  and  I  suppose  he  went  on  toiling  to  the 
last. 


View  of   Providence 
India  Point  district  about   1837 


We  had  another  professor  of  the  Greek  and  Latin 
languages  in  the  Rev.  Romeo  Elton,  S.  T.  D.  It  was 
without  any  accurate  prescience  of  his  future  proportions 
that  his  parents  gave  to  him  the  name  of  the  elegant  young 
lover  of  Verona,  for  he  was  a  little,  round  man,  of  a 
presence  by  no  means  romantic.  It  is  impossible  now  to 
say  by  what  concatenation  it  happened,  but  the  irreverent 


Me?nortes  of  Brown  65 

undergraduates  of  a  bygone  period  had  bestowed  upon 
the  sesquipedaHan  professor  the  name  of  "  Bump,"  and 
though  he  was  exceedingly  popular,  he  was  seldom  called 
anything  else.  Whether  he  was  a  strong  classical  scholar 
or  not  we  never  could  find  out,  for  he  was  so  absurdly 
good-natured  and  so  punctiliously  polite  and  of  such  con- 
firmed niauvaisc  Jiontc  withal,  that  we  did  much  as  we 
pleased  in  his  class-room.  It  was  upon  the  ground-floor, 
and  when  the  exercises  became  dull,  and  the  windows 
were  open,  the  students  occasionally  jumped  through  them 
after  roll-call  and  went  away.  They  were  not  missed  by 
the  good  doctor,  who  would  probably  be  engaged  at  the 
time  of  the  exits  in  a  bland  illustration  of  the  Iter 
Brundusinum  or  some  other  part  of  Horace,  drawn  from 
his  personal  observation  when  abroad.  It  was  averred 
and  generally  believed  that  he  had  told  every  sophomore 
class  since  1825  how,  when  he  was  at  Gottingen,  he  slept 
between  two  feather-beds.  This  was  an  adventure  the 
recital  of  which  always  caused  him  to  cross  his  short  legs 
rapidly  in  token  of  satisfaction,  and  successive  classes 
waited  for  the  narration  with  impatience.  He  was,  how- 
ever, what  college  professors  sometimes  are  not, —  he  was 
a  perfectly  well-bred  man,  and  if  he  was  ready  to  take  the 
word  of  the  boys  without  question  or  cross-question,  the 
more  graceless  was  it  in  them  to  tell  him  falsehoods. 
When  he  did  duty  at  evening  prayers,  he  always  remem- 
bered "  the  soldier,  the  sailor  and  the  slave."  This  ap- 
peared to  be  a  formula  which  he  had  fixed  upon  as  both 
comprehensive  and  euphonious;  so  he  adhered  to  it,  and 
I  do  not  know  that  he  could  have  done  better.  There 
was  a  rule  of  the  college  that  every  dormitory  should  be 
visited  by  some  member  of  the  faculty  during  study  hours, 
to  make  sure  that  the  boys  were  at  their  books.  This 
was  one  of  Dr.  Wayland's  early  notions  of  discipline  ;  I 
am  happy  to  say  that  the  immoral  and  semi-military  cus- 


66  Memories  of  B 


rown 


torn  was  long  ago  abandoned  in  Brown  University.  I  am 
obliged  to  add  that  one  of  the  professors  and  most  of  the 
young  tutors  took  kindly  to  the  espionage,  and  visited  the 
rooms  assigned  to  them  with  punctilious  regularity. 
Those  students,  however,  who  lodged  in  the  division  of 
Hope  College  assigned  to  the  Rev.  Romeo  Elton,  S.  T. 
D.,  had  a  good  time  of  it.  He  always  looked  in  at  the 
door  with  a  blush,  as  if  he  were  making  an  unwarrantable 
intrusion  upon  domestic  privacy,  and  he  valorously  broke 
the  rule  by  calling  seldom.  I  think  that  his  plan  was 
never  to  make  a  domiciliary  visit  oftener  than  twice  a 
week,  and  curiously  enough  he  always  made  it  at  the  same 
hour  and  upon  the  same  days;  and  always  found  his 
grateful  young  gentlemen  at  home. 

When  a  man  is  writing  or  talking  about  his  college  life, 
he  is  expected,  I  hardly  know  for  what  reason,  to  dwell 
upon  the  least  reputable  parts  of  it.  Almost  everybody 
seems  to  hear  with  relish  of  the  president's  horse  shaved, 
of  the  chapel-bell  deprived  of  its  tongue,  of  the  cow  intro- 
duced into  the  pulpit,  of  asafcetida  placed  upon  the 
tutor's  stove,  of  insolent  jokes  cracked  at  the  expense  of 
men  renowned  for  learning  and  piety,  of  windows  broken, 
and  of  homesick  freshmen  made  needlessly  miserable  by 
coarse  intrusion  upon  their  privacy  or  by  cruel  profanation 
of  their  persons.  We  had  enough  and  more  than  enough 
of  these  senseless  diversions,  and  sui^ciently  tormented 
those  who  had  us  in  charge,  or  who  received  in  sorrow 
ofificial  intelligence  of  our  misdemeanors ;  but  I  do  not 
think  that  the  students  of  that  time  were  hard-hearted  or 
heartless,  and  I  do  think  that  there  has  been  a  change  in 
more  than  one  institution  of  learning  for  the  worse. 
Perhaps  we  were  fortunate  in  the  circumstance  that, 
whatever  our  disorderly  exploits,  nobody  thought  of 
putting  them  into  the  public  journals.  The  insubordina- 
tion of  some  colleges  has  now  become  a  staple  article  of 


M 


emortes  Oi 


B 


rown 


67 


news,  and  those  who  disturb  their  studious  quiet  appear 
to  be  bolder  and  more  reckless  than  we  were.  A  rem- 
iniscent may  note  this  change ;  fortunately  for  himself, 
he  is  not  required  to  suggest  a  remedy.  At  any  rate,  we 
did  not  indulge  in  manslaughter  in  those  unsophisticated 
days. 

Charles  Tabcr  Coiigdou,  1S41. 


Printed  in  his  Reminiscences^  1880. 


-fte  ^irT- v-^f  ^r  ,  ^l 


68  Memories  of  Brown 


The  Cloistered  Life  of  the  Early 
Forties 


STUDENT  life  at  Brown  in  the  early  days  was 
academic  life  pure  and  simple.  The  students 
lived  together  in  the  college,  dined  together  in 
Commons  Hall.  The  hours  for  devotion,  for 
study  and  for  recitation,  the  same  for  all,  were  regulated 
by  the  college  bell  with  the  precision  of  clock-work. 
The  entire  academic  body,  officers  and  students,  was 
expected  to  attend  chapel  service  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  again  at  five  in  the  evening,  on  which 
occasion  after  the  prayer  by  the  president,  the  junior  or 
senior  who  happened  to  be  the  orator  of  the  day  pronounced 
a  spirited  oration  on  some  theme  of  academic,  local  or  na- 
tional interest.  Every  student  was  required  to  meet  his 
teacher  in  the  class-room  directly  after  prayers  in  the 
morning,  at  eleven  a.  m.,  and  at  four  p.  m.  From  seven 
to  nine  in  the  evening  it  was  his  bounden  duty  to  be  at 
his  books  in  his  own  private  study.  Such  was  the  clois- 
tered life  in  college  halls  in  the  early  days  at  Brown. 
Whatever  we  may  think  of  its  general  influence,  it  surely 
had  its  advantages.  The  faculty  and  students  constituted 
an  academic  family.  Ties  of  friendship  were  formed 
which  not  even  the  cares  of  the  busiest  life  could  ever 
sunder. 

Albert  Harkucss,  1S42. 


Memories  of  Brown 


69 


George  William  Curtis's  Memories 
of    Brown 


AM  not  an  actual  alumnus,  and  yet 
it  is  hard  to  believe  it,  because 
never  was  alumnus  more  tenderly 
treated  by  his  Alma  Mater  than  I 
have  been  by  the  college  which  I 
remember  so  long  and  so  happily. 
I  was  born  almost  under  its  shad- 
ow on  the  southern  slope  of  the 
hill  on  which  it  stands  and  near 
the  house  of  the  generous  benefac- 
tor whose  name  it  bears.  As  a 
child  I  gazed  with  admiration  upon  its  students  throng- 
ing down  College  street  and  stretching  up  Westminster 
and  High  streets,  of  an  afternoon,  for  their  "constitution- 
al," and  no  recollection  is  more  vivid  than  that  of  the 
commencement  procession,  with  Dr.  Wayland's  thunder- 
ous brows  crowned  with  the  tasselled  academic  cap  and 
the  academic  gown  draping  his  massive  form,  with  Chan- 
cellor Bridgham  and  the  awful  board  of  fellows,  and  a 
cloud  of  clergymen,  and  the  elect  seniors  in  flowing 
gowns  and  new  shoes,  bringing  up  the  rear.  This  pro- 
cession in  black  preceded  by  the  band  descended  the  hill 
and  marched  through  the  lively  market  place  to  the  old 
church,  an  annual  reminder,  at  least,  to  the  busy  citizens 
that  there  were  other  interests  than  those  of  the  count- 
ing-room. 


70  Memories  of  Brown 

I  have  sometimes  in  later  years  fancied  a  loftier  pride 
in  Dr.  Wayland's  imposing  port  on  those  occasions,  as  if 
he  delighted,  in  the  midst  of  trade,  to  assert  the  dignity 
of  letters.  In  the  crowded  church  I  always  pushed  up  to 
the  side  of  the  platform  which  the  graduating  orator  as- 
cended. Some  phrases  I  still  remember  in  the  orations 
and  especially  one  line  in  the  commencement  poem  of 
Thomas  Allen  Jenckes,  afterwards  the  father  of  civil  ser- 
vice reform.  He  impaled  the  dudes,  as  yet  unnamed,  of 
those  days,  upon  the  sharp,  satiric  sneer,  "  Vain  folly's  last 
edition,  bound  in  calf;" — a  sally  at  which  dudes  and 
maidens  laughed  uproariously.  Commencement  day  was 
more  impressive  to  me  than  the  Fourth  of  July.  The  lit- 
tle boy  that  I  was  dilated  with  its  grandeur.  When  Presi- 
dent Wayland  stepped  out  of  the  pulpit  to  address  the 
Fellows,  before  seating  himself  upon  the  throne  to  confer 
the  degrees,  and,  waving  his  hand  toward  the  pew  in 
which  sat  the  graduating  class,  alluded  to  them  in  his 
Latin  speech  as  "hos  juvenes"  I  felt  myself  to  be  pros- 
pectively included.  As  Charles  Lamb  at  Oxford,  so  I  at 
Brown  was  admitted  ad  euiidem,  and  when  afterwards 
our  gracious  Alma  Mater  distinguished  me  by  her  fav- 
ors, I  felt  only  that  she  acknowledged  a  son  as  loyal  as 
any  child  she  had  ever  borne. 

You  ask  for  some  reminiscences  of  the  college  within 
my  time.  Certainly  the  most  ancient  of  my  Brunonian 
recollections  is  that  of  the  spare  and,  to  my  boyish  eyes, 
queer  figure  of  ex- President  Messer,  who,  after  his  re- 
tirement from  the  presidency,  used  sometimes  to  preach 
in  the  pulpit  of  the  First  Congregational  Church.  His  ser- 
mons I  do  not  recall  and  the  chief  facts  that  have  lodged 
in  my  memory  are  his  solemnity  of  manner  and  his  knee 
breeches.  I  seem  indeed,  as  I  think  of  him,  to  perceive 
a  queue,  but  it  is  probably  only  a  vision  arising  from  the 
sense  of  fitness.     Given  the  knee  breeches  it  is  easy  to 


Memories  of  Brown  7 1 

deduce  the  queue.  Dr.  Holmes's  "  Last  Leaf,"  a  poem 
which  was,  I  beheve,  actually  suggested  by  Major  Mel- 
ville in  Boston,  the  last  survivor  of  Sam  Adams's  tea 
party,  used  to  seem  to  me  a  metrical  commemoration  of 
Dr.  Messer  and  his  breeches,  although  "  the  old  three- 
cornered  hat "  had  disappeared.  Dr.  Messer  lived  be- 
yond the  old  Hoyle  tavern  on  High  street,  in  a  stately 
house,  as  I  remember,  toward  the  Cranston  line.  He 
seemed  to  have  placed  himself  at  the  furthest  point  from 
the  college,  as  if  in  his  own  person  to  impart  the  atmos- 
phere and  benediction  of  letters  to  that  uncollcged  neigh- 
borhood. Even  in  later  years  the  good  doctor  viewed  as 
the  head  of  the  university  may  be  still,  perhaps,  charac- 
terized as  a  queer  person. 

I  remember,  also,  when  Dr.  Holmes  in  the  first  flush 
of  his  literary  reputation,  which  began  with  the  delivery 
of  his  Phi  Beta  Kappa  poem  at  Cambridge,  came  to 
Providence  to  repeat  it  before  the  chapter  at  Brown.  It 
was  read  in  the  old  Baptist  meeting  house,  of  course, 
and  with  the  utmost  effect,  for  Doctor  Holmes  certainly 
disproves  the  dictum  of  Mrs.  Browning  in  Lady  Gerald- 
ine's  courtship  that  "  poets  never  read  their  own  verses 
to  their  worth."  Holmes  reads  his  own  verses  with  the 
most  exquisite  appreciation  and  with  a  modulation  of 
rhythm,  and  a  shading  of  tone,  which  conveys  their  sub- 
limest  suggestion.  The  great  Phi  Beta  Kappa  audience 
in  the  old  church  never  heard  from  any  poet  more  reson- 
ant and  charming  numbers  than  on  that  day.  The  poem 
had  especial  significance  for  a  Providence  audience  be- 
cause the  touching  lyric  which  broke  the  stately,  measur- 
ed flow  of  the  decasyllabic  verse  with  a  pensive  rippling 
melody, — 

"  And  one  amid  their  shades  was  born, 
Beneath  this  turf  who  lies :  "' 


72  Memories  of  Brown 

was  a  tribute  to  Holmes's  sister,  who  was  the  wife  of  Dr. 
Usher  Parsons,  then  a  practising  physician  and  surgeon 
in  Providence,  whom  Providence  boys  regarded  with  re- 
spect and  admiration  as  the  surgeon  of  Perry's  fleet  on 
the  great  day  of  the  victory  on  Lake  Erie. 

My  older  brother  entered  Brown  fifty-one  years  after 
his  grandfather,  James  Burrill,  Jr.,  for  whom  he  was 
named.  My  grandfather  graduated  at  the  age  of  sixteen, 
in  1788.  In  a  few  memoranda  made  by  him  and  now  in 
my  possession  he  writes  in  a  hand  which  attests  the  ex- 
cellence of  his  teacher,  "  was  admitted  a  freshman  in 
Providence  College  August  31st,  1784,  being  with  W. 
Barton  and  D.  Peckham  previously  examined  by  Dr. 
Manning,  Dr.  Stillman,  Dr.  Brown,  Mr.  Tutor  Robins 
and  Mr.  Wilkinson."  Again  "on  commencement  day, 
September  the  3rd,  1788,  received  from  the  hands  of  Dr. 
James  Manning,  president  of  the  college,  the  degree  of 
bachelor  in  the  arts.  The  class  which  graduated  consisting 
of  the  following  young  gentlemen,  viz. :  Messrs.  Atwell, 
Barton,  Blackington,  Bowen,  Briggs,  Burrill,  Daggett, 
Doggett,  Fisher,  Harris,  Holbrook,  Jackson,  Lazell, 
Leonard,  May,  Mead,  Tillinghast,  Turner,  Whitman. 
The  exercises  allotted  to  each  and  which  they  severally 
performed  at  Commencement  were  as  follows  :  To  At- 
well, Valedict.  orat.  Doggett,  Sal.  do.  Daggett,  ist 
inter  do.  Barton,  2d  inter  do.  Tillinghast,  Eng.  orat. 
Bowen,  do.  Holbrook,  Greek  do.  Mead,  Heb.  do. 
Leonard  and  Burrill,  forensic  dispute,  and  to  the  rest 
parts  in  dialogues."  There  is  also  a  record  of  the  young 
graduate's  expenses  in  college,  which,  averaging  a  little 
more  than  9  pounds  a  year,  amounted  for  the  four  years 
to  36  pounds,  7  shillings  and  2  pence.  He  adds  the  ex- 
pense of  preparing  for  college,  which  was  7  pounds  and 
19  shillings,  making  a  total  of  44  pounds,  6  shillings,  and 
2  pence.     These  details  are  not  exactly  "  within  my  time,' 


Memories  of  Brow?i  73 

but  they  may  interest  you  as  illustrations  of  the  earliest 
years  of  the  college. 

My  brother  entered  college  with  the  late  Abraham 
Payne,  with  whom  he  sometimes  occupied  a  room  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  University  Hall,  on  the  fourth  floor, 
although  he  generally  lived  at  home.  The  late  Charles 
S.  Bradley,  afterwards  chief  justice  of  Rhode  Island,  and 
George  V.  N.  Lothrop,  ex-minister  to  Russia,  were,  I 
think,  two  years  in  advance  of  Payne  in  college.  The 
three  men  were  notable  figures  even  then.  Bradley  was 
a  dev^oted  student,  with  a  certain  severity  of  tempera- 
ment, as  I  recall  him,  and  he  made  the  impression  of  a 
youth  of  high  aims,  his  mind  already  set  upon  distinction. 
Lothrop,  less  serious  than  his  friend,  was  of  a  generous 
nature,  cordial,  expansive,  but  also  a  good  scholar  with- 
out effort,  and  he,  also,  was  not  without  ambition.  In 
both  men  the  ambition  was  gratified.  Judge  Bradley  be- 
came one  of  the  most  eminent  and  honored  citizens  of 
the  state  in  which  he  was  educated  and  cast  his  lot,  and 
Mr.  Lothrop  passed  from  the  Michigan  bar  to  one  of  the 
great  foreign  diplomatic  posts  of  the  country. 

Abraham  Payne  completed  the  group.  In  his  case  the 
child  was  father  to  the  man.  As  a  youth  I  recall  the  dry 
humor  in  which  his  views  of  men  and  things  were  dis- 
solved, a  humor  which  affected  his  life  and  gave  to  his  es- 
timate of  the  world  an  air  of  kindly  half-indolent  cynicism, 
as  if,  perhaps,  life  were  not  quite  worth  while.  He,  too, 
cherished  an  ambition  with  which  his  temperament  was 
not  in  accord.  In  those  days,  he  read  Burke,  and  pon- 
dered political  questions  with  youthful  ardor,  and  smiled 
sympathetically  at  my  brother's  admiration  for  Emerson 
and  his  sympathy  with  "  the  transcendental  movement." 
Payne  cherished  a  deep  and  enduring  loyalty  to  my 
brother's  character  and  he  in  turn  delighted  in  his  friend's 
manly  independence  and  persuasive  humor,  each  recog- 
nizing a  touch  of  genius  in  the  other. 


74  Memories  of  Brown 

After  their  college  days  they  seldom  met.  Payne  pur- 
sued his  professional  career  in  Providence  and  my  broth- 
er for  many  years  lived  in  England.  But  until  Payne 
died  their  interest  in  each  other  never  declined.  It  seems 
to  me  upon  Payne's  part,  as  I  recall  it,  not  unlike  that  of 
Carlyle  for  Emerson.  In  one  of  his  letters,  Carlyle,  who 
was  always  at  close  quarters  with  the  wrangling  world  in 
general,  says  to  Emerson  substantially,  "  what  are  you 
doing  up  there  in  the  empyrean.^"  Payne  could  not  es- 
cape his  temperament ;  and  the  ambition  of  his  college 
days,  like  that  of  so  great  a  multitude,  was  never  gratified. 
It  was  curious  to  observe  the  men  whom  the  state  politi- 
cally honored,  and  not  to  see  him  among  them.  But  his 
carelessness  to  restrain  his  wit,  his  courage  of  his  opin- 
ions and  the  manliness  of  his  bearing,  with  a  shrewdness 
of  observation  and  a  broad  intellectual  and  moral  compre- 
hension of  his  time,  made  Abraham  Payne  as  memorable 
a  Rhode  Island  figure  as  those  which  he  has  kindly  and 
pungently  commemorated. 

It  was  while  these  three  men  were  in  college  that  the 
Alpha  Delta  Phi,  one  of  the  earliest,  if  not  the  earliest,  of 
the  later  Greek  letter  societies,  the  modern  prolific  prog- 
eny of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  was  founded  by  "  the  lamented 
Eells "  at  Hamilton,  and  a  chapter  was  organized  at 
Brown.  Bradley,  Lothrop,  Payne  and  my  brother  were 
among  the  first  members,  and  they  were  full  of  zeal,  tem- 
pered by  the  smile  and  the  humorous  gibe  of  Payne. 
They  .promoted  the  higher  objects  of  the  society,  how- 
ever, with  serious  devotion.  The  meetings,  as  became 
those  of  a  mystic  fraternity,  were  held  at  night,  and  I  can 
still  hear  the  bell  in  the  Baptist  tower  with  solemn  and 
reproving  clangor  pealing  forth  the  hour  of  twelve,  and 
one,  and  two,  while  I  awaiting  my  brother  at  home  con- 
jured all  kind  of  chimeras  dire  in  the  dead  waist  and  mid- 
dle of  the  night;  so  that  the  meetings  of  the  Alpha  Delta 


Memories  of  Brown  75 

Phi  seemed  to  me  a  kind  of  Witches'  Sabbath  or  Car- 
bonari conspiracy. 

This,  I  beUeve,  is  the  view  still  entertained  of  those 
Greek  midnight  assemblies  by  some  college  faculties. 
But  upon  the  delightful  houses  in  which  the  societies 
now  domesticate  themselves,  which  have  all  the  refined 
and  luxurious  aspects  and  appliances  of  city  clubs,  the 
fathers  of  the  society  whom  I  knew  at  Brown,  regarding 
it  as  an  arena  of  scholarly  discipline  and  mental  emula- 
tion, might  gaze,  as  in  Couture's  picture  of  the  Decadence 
of  the  Romans  the  austere  elders  of  the  Brutus  and  Cato 
type  look  upon  the  garlanded  and  carousing  revellers. 
In  the  charming  elegance  of  the  society's  modern  house 
I  can  imagine  the  grave  and  earnest  Bradley  of  those 
earlier  years,  asking  whether  it  be  a  summer  pavilion 
from  the  garden  of  the  Academy  where  Plato  taught  and 
inspired  or  a  pleasure  house  frorh  Sybaris.  I  can  also 
imagine  the  nimble  witted  Alpha  Delt,  or  of  any  sister 
society,  replying  with  the  son  of  the  merchant  to  his 
uncle  who  rebuked  him  for  reaching  the  ofiice  at  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning  when  his  father  came  at  seven, 
"  Yes,  dear  Uncle,  tempora  rnutautiir ;  my  revered  parent, 
bless  his  memory,  came  at  seven  that  I  might  come  at 
ten  !  " 

You  see  how  dangerous  it  is  to  touch  the  stop  of  rem- 
iniscence in  an  old  adopted  son  of  Brown.  You  think  to 
water  a  few  plants  of  memory,  and  you  are  threatened 
with  a  freshet.  "  The  waters  are  out "  in  a  serious  sense 
when  you  unsuspiciously  raise  the  gates.  To  how  many 
readers  must  the  names  I  have  mentioned  be  unknown  ! 
"  Reader,  what  if  I  have  been  playing  with  thee  all  this 
while.'*  Peradventure  the  very  names,  which  I  have  sum- 
moned up  before  thee,  are  fantastic,  unsubstantial,  like 
Henry  Pimpernal  and  old  John  Naps  of  Greece."  But 
what  realm  is  more  thickly  peopled  with  airy  and  invisi- 


76 


Memories  of  Brown 


ble  forms  than  the  corridors  and  walks  of  a  college? 
What  high  hopes,  what  lofty  ambitions,  what  generous 
purposes,  were  native  here!  How  much  of  great  achieve- 
ment began  in  this  studious  seclusion.  To  the  backward 
glance  of  how  many  a  man  conspicuous  in  public  honor 
and  activity  are  not  these  quiet  and  modest  walks  and 
buildings  of  Brown  the  seat  of  a  happiness  which  even  re- 
now^n  and  the  gratification  of  the  ambition  once  ardently 
cherished  here  do  not  afford. 

To  the  older  "  Fellow "  of  the  university  undergoing 
the  commencement  orations  in  the  historic  church,  the 
tone  of  the  valedictorian  may  seem  to  be  factitiously  sad. 
The  youth  speaks  from  tradition,  not  from  experience. 
But  he  speaks  also  with  instinctive  forecast,  for  it  is  the 
shadow  of  things  unseen,  but  sure  to  be,  that  falls  upon 
his  spirit.  Happily  in  every  successive  class  which  as- 
cends the  steps  of  the  graduating  platform  and  in  every 
valedictory  oration  there  is  something  of  deeper  signifi- 
cance than  the  tone  of  sadness.  It  is  that  the  class  and 
its  orator  are  the  symbols  of  the  renewed  impulse  of 
hope,  faith  and  vigor  with  which  undaunted  youth  forever 
quickens  the  world. 

Geoi^ge  William  Curtis,  hoiwi^ary,  18^4. 


Memories  of  Brown  77 


In  Colleo[e  with  ''Sunset"  Cox 


THE  following  reminiscences  of  Samuel  S.  Cox,  '46, 
speaker  of  the  national  house  of  representatives 
and  minister  to  Turkey,  have  been  gathered  from 
various  sources,  including  the  sketch  of  his  life 
written  by  his  nephew,  William  V.  Cox. 

In  a  letter  to  a  sister,  dated  Brown  University,  Provi- 
dence, November  25,  1845,  Mr.  Cox  gives  his  unique  ex- 
perience as  a  temperance  lecturer.  He  was  then  in  his 
senior  year.     He  writes: 

"  There  was  to  be  a  grand  temperance  oratorio  (about 
60  singers),  after  the  speaking  (at  Mechanics'  Hall),  and 
the  house  was  densely  crowded,  mostly  with  females. 
The  aisles  were  full  —  some  1500  or  2000  people  present. 
I  did  not  intend  to  speak — ^was  standing  up  in  the  aisle 
with  some  students  looking  at  the  girls ;  when  someone 
came  pushing  through  with  a  little  trunk  in  his  hand,  de- 
claring he  had  to  speak  and  must  get  through.  '  Oho  ! 
Buckeye,' says  I.  'Hallo!  stranger,'  says  he.  'Bear,  or 
I  am  no  Buckeye,'  says  I.  '  Right,  young  man  —  give  us 
your  hand  —  see  this  cane?     John  N.  Bear  on  it.' 

"  '  Cox  is  my  name,'  says  I.  The  Buckeyes  embrace  — 
push  through  the  crowd.  Cox  in  the  lead.  Everybody 
staring.  I  told  the  president  of  the  meeting  who  was 
present.  He  had  heard  of  me,  and  said  I  must  speak  too, 
and  introduced  the  Buckeye  Blacksmith.  Well,  1  was 
stirred  up  —  made  a  speech  of  twenty  minutes  —  intro- 
duced Bear  with  a  gusto.  He  made  a  perfect  roarer  of  a 
speech,  astonishing  the  people  considerably.     He  got  up 


78  Memories  of  Brown 

a  little  respectability  for  me,  after  I  had  soft-soaped  him  — 
told  him  about  my  taking  him  with  a  habeas  corpus  or 
something  in  his  intemperate  days  —  said  I  was  clerk  of 
the  court  at  Zanesville,  etc.,  etc.  Last  Monday  I  had  a 
special  invitation  to  lecture.  I  signed  the  pledge,  and  as 
the  doctor  was  away  with  Dr.  Judson,  I  prepared  myself 
well;  spoke  forty  minutes  to  a  very  refined  audience  — 
was  nicely  complimented  by  the  president  —  but  that  is 
my  last  one  for  some  time.  Our  exhibition  comes  off 
Saturday.  We  have  been  practising  all  the  afternoon, 
and  the  way  we  are  drilled!"  In  the  same  letter  Cox 
more  than  once  expressed  a  longing  for  pumpkin  pies, 
such  as  he  had  at  home.  "  I  must  say,"  he  writes  to  his 
sister,  "  if  I  have  a  failing  it  is  pumpkin-pieward." 

Of  another  college  experience  he  writes : 

"  I  made  my  debut  here  on  the  stage  —  spoke  a  part  of 
my  Fourier  speech,  which  the  professor  did  not  like  as  to 
the  sentiment,  but  which  brought  down  two  rounds  of 
applause  from  the  students.  I  never  felt  so  elated  in  my 
life,  my  manner  of  speaking  was  so  different  and  I  put  all 
my  soul  in  it  (as  I  had  written  it  myself  and  consequently 
felt  what  I  said),  and  there  was  so  much  of  the  free  and 
easy.  Western  stump-speech  manner  about  it  that  it  took. 
The  professor  told  me  not  to  speak  any  more  such  things 
as  Fourierism,  but  said  he  saw  some  fine  promise  in  my 
way  of  speaking.  He  did  not  know  I  wrote  it,  and  as  we 
are  required  to  make  selections  from  others  till  next  term, 
he  supposed  it  somebody  else's.  The  students  wanted  to 
know  where  I  got  it,  as  there  was  considerable  fun  and 
novelty  in  it.  I  stopped  once  in  the  middle,  having  for- 
gotten the  next  sentence,  but  they  commenced  stamping, 
and  it  put  me  considerably  out  —  and  some,  most  fellows, 
would  have  been  abashed  and  taken  their  seats,  but  I  stood 
it  and  at  last  got  through.  So  much  for  my  entre  !  They 
think  here  I  am  an  odd  genius.     I  don't  visit  anybody  — 


Memories  of  Brow?i  79 

stick  to  my  room  —  mind  my  own  business  —  walk  as 
straight  as  a  lightning  rod  and  as  independent  as  a  wood- 
chuck.  I  can  put  on  all  kinds  of  airs,  and  they  will  lay  it 
all  to  Western  manners  and  characteristics.  They  gen- 
erally suppose  that  we  are  mostly  heathens  out  West, 
without  refinement  and  taste  for  literature  —  and  the 
specimens  of  Western  students  here  are  by  no  means 
flattering." 

His  classmate  Mr.  Frank  W.  Anthony  of  Mattawan, 
Mich.,  describes  this  incident  as  follows: 

"  The  class  had  been  trained  for  nearly  two  years  by 
our  prim  and  precise  professor  of  rhetoric,  Professor 
Gammell,  into  his  peculiar  and  polished  style  of  speaking 
and  writing.  S.  S.  had  doubtless  had  triumphs  at  the 
crossroads  schoolhouse  of  the  West.  You  can  imagine 
the  effect  of  his  first  speech  in  the  college  class  upon  pro- 
fessor and  students.  It  was  the  first  stump  speech  any 
of  us  had  heard.  We  all  tried  hard  to  control  our  risibles. 
It  was  impossible  after  a  few  sentences.  I  see  now  the 
determined  look  that  came  into  the  new  student's  face  as 
the  laugh  grew  louder  and  longer.  It  said,  while  he  com- 
pleted his  speech,  '  laugh  if  you  will,  the  power  is  in  me 
and  you  shall  yet  respect  it.'  When  completed  he  leaped 
from  the  platform,  regardless  of  the  steps,  and  made  for 
his  seat.  As  soon  as  Professor  Gammell  could  control 
himself  and  the  uproar,  he  said, '  It  is  customary.  Cox,  for 
the  student  to  pause  at  the  foot  of  the  platform  for  criti- 
cism.    We  will  excuse  you  this  time.     Next.'  " 

Another  classmate,  the  Rev.  James  C.  Fletcher,  writes  : 

"  Cox  liked  to  take  a  hand  even  in  his  student  days  in 
addressing  a  crowd ;  and  on  one  occasion  he  made  a 
stump  speech  to  the  assembled  Democrats  in  Providence, 
R.  I.,  in  connection  with  Thomas  W.  Dorr,  who  in  1842 
endeavored  to  change  the  old  government  of  Rhode 
Island  by  forcible  means  —  for  which   Dorr,  being  over- 


80  Memories  of  Brown 

whelmingly  defeated  at  the  polls  and  elsewhere,  had  to 
suffer  in  prison.  The  Democrats,  as  well  as  the  old 
Whigs,  were  overwhelmingly  against  Dorr.  Nevertheless, 
when  agitation  began  in  regard  to  liberating  Dorr  from 
the  penitentiary,  '  Sam  '  (as  we  called  him),  with  the  pluck 
that  always  characterized  him,  took  the  part  of  the  small 
party,  demanding  the  pardoning  of  Dorr,  and  actually,  to 
the  chagrin  of  the  faculty  (all  Anti-Dorrites)  'Sam'  ad- 
dressed the  '  unterrified  '  in  the  streets.  '  Sam  '  always 
took  the  part  of  the  '  under  dog '  in  the  fight." 

Dr.  Charles  R.  Cullen  of  Gaines  Mills,  Va.,  writes : 
"  We  sat  beside  each  other  three  years.  While  we  were 
at  Brown  the  Liberty  party  was  forming  and  the  Garri- 
sons were  in  full  blast.  In  the  Methodist  Church  (the 
only  denomination  at  that  time  very  radical)  Abbey  Kel- 
ley,  Abbey  Folsom,  S.  S.  Foster  and  Wendell  Phillips 
were  to  speak.  They  abused  Dr.  Wayland,  who  was  car- 
rying on  the  controversy  with  Dr.  Fuller  on  the  subject 
of  slavery,  but  could  not  tolerate  the  Garrison  set.  The 
doctor  advised  the  students  not  to  attend  the  meeting,  as 
he  knew  they  would  commence  by  abusing  himself,  calling 
him  anti-slavery  hypocrite,  etc.  This  made  the  whole 
body  of  students  decide  to  go  and  take  possession  of  the 
meeting  —  to  allow  the  Abolitionists  to  speak  fifteen  min- 
utes and  the  students  thirty  minutes  —  to  hiss  them  and 
applaud  the  students.  Sam  made  a  rousing  speech  —  so 
did  Dr.  J.  Wheaton  Smith,  now  of  Philadelphia.  Phil- 
lips was  severe  on  the  students  and  told  them  they  might 
be  as  silly  as  geese  or  venomous  as  serpents,  he  would 
speak  if  they  stayed  until  midnight.  We  generally  did 
for  several  nights." 

Cox  freely  gives  his  opinion  of  his  associates.     He  says  : 
"They  judge  of  a  fellow's  respectability  greatly  by  his 
dress  here.     .   .   .     There  are  some  monstrous  mean  fel- 
lows among  the  Yankees.     Again  there  are  some  fine  fel- 


Memories  of  Brown 


lows  —  good  —  open-hearted  —  warm-hearted  students  — 
in  my  class.  Some  of  the  best  families  of  New  England 
and  the  Union  are  my  classmates.  A  grandson  of  Gen- 
eral Greene ;  a  son  of  Commodore  Morris,  of  Washington, 
D.  C;  Dr.  Wayland's  son ;  Professor  Goddard's  two  sons." 

Dr.  August  Shurtlcff  of  Brookline,  Mass.,  writes: 

"  Cox  joined  our  class  in  the  sophomore  year,  and  won 
our  hearts  at  once.  He  was  one  of  the  most  genial,  kind- 
hearted  and  witty  men  I  ever  knew.  The  professors  all 
liked  him,  and  when  he  asked  funny  questions  sometimes, 
never  reproved  him.  I  think  he  was  about  medium  as  a 
scholar,  certainly  not  less.  He  was  always  talking  politics. 
I  have  a  classbook  in  which  my  nearest  friends  wrote  a 
sentiment  over  their  autographs  —  it  is  before  me  now. 
He  says  he  has  always  been  celebrated  as  an  unterrified 
Democrat ;  that  there  was  a  tradition  in  his  family  that 
when  he  was  born  a  scroll  of  fire  was  seen  extending 
around  the  top  of  the  bed-posts  on  which  appeared  the 
legend  '  Vox  Populi  Suprema  Lex.'  He  looked  like  and 
always  reminded  me  of  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  and  like 
him  showed  his  under  teeth  when  he  laughed,  which  was 
about  all  the  time.     He  was  a  dear,  good  fellow." 

Honorable  James  B.  Angell,  president  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan  and  lately  minister  to  Turkey,  who  en- 
tered Brown  as  a  freshman  just  as  Mr.  Cox  was  begin- 
ning his  senior  year,  gives  the  following  account  of  the 
latter's  college  career: 

"  Cox  did  not  study  for  class  rank,  though  his  general 
scholarship  was  good.  But  no  student  worked  more  in- 
dustriously. He  gave  most  of  his  time,  however,  to  the 
study  of  English  and  American  history  and  political  econ- 
omy. He  was,  I  think,  much  impressed,  as  most  students 
were,  by  the  instruction  he  received  from  President  Way- 
land,  especially  by  the  free-trade  doctrines  set  forth  in  the 
president's  work  on  political  economy.     He  seemed  to  be 


82  Memories  of  B 


rown 


preparing  himself  for  entering  on  political  life.  He  gave 
full  promise  of  all  he  subsequently  accomplished  in  his 
public  career.  When  he  left  college,  we  all  confidently 
expected  that  he  would  attain  to  great  eminence  in  public 
life.  His  attractive  social  qualities  made  him  a  great 
favorite  in  college.  He  was  brimful  of  innocent  fun.  He 
had  considerable  skill  with  his  pencil  in  caricature.  He 
w^as  an  agile  participant  in  the  sports  of  the  ball  ground. 
Wherever  one  met  him,  whether  in  athletic  contests,  in 
social  life,  or  in  intellectual  tournaments,  there  was  an 
abounding  vitality  and  effervescent  good  nature  in  him, 
which  made  him  a  most  stimulating  and  enjoyable  com- 
panion. I  am  sure  that  all  of  his  contemporaries  in  col- 
lege have  cherished,  as  I  cherished,  the  most  pleasing 
recollections  of  their  companionship  with  him  in  the  days 
of  his  student  life.'' 

Mr.  Cox  once  told  Mr.  Brown  of  the  editorial  board 
of  this  volume  of  his  close  but  brief  acquaintance 
with  Francis  Wayland.  He  came  to  Brown  in  1842 
from  Ohio,  then  an  almost  exclusively  agricultural  state, 
and,  like  any  breezy  Western  boy,  always  walked  across 
the  grass,  paying  no  heed  to  paths.  This  custom  of 
his  wore  unseemly  lines  in  the  front  lawn  and  President 
Wayland  had  signs  erected  for  all  persons  to  keep 
off  the  grass  and  confine  themselves  to  the  gravel  paths. 
This  made  no  difference  to  young  Cox,  as  he  continued 
to  run  across  the  grass  until  one  day  he  ran  plumb  into 
the  arms  of  the  president.  Seizing  the  delinquent  with 
the  frown  of  Jove  lowering  around  those  shaggy  eyebrows. 
Dr.  Wayland  sternly  asked,  "'  Did  you  see  that  sign?" 
"  Yes,  sir."  "  Did  you  read  it  ?  "  "  Yes,  sir."  "  Why  did 
you  violate  my  orders.^"  Cox  thought  a  second  and  re- 
plied, "  Well,  the  only  reason  I  can  think  of  is  that  I  came 
from  a  state  where  there's  more  grass  than  gravel." 
President  Wayland  relaxed  and  said,  "  Young  man,  I  ex- 
pect we  shall  hear  from  you  after  you  leave  here." 


Memories  of  Brown  83 

When    President   Angell 
was  a  Student 


MY  college  life  covered  the  period  from  1845  ^^ 
1849.     In  these  days,  when  the  faculty  num- 
bers  nearly  a  hundred,  it  is  dif^cult  to  com- 
prehend how  a  faculty  of  seven  men  carried  on 
the  institution  with  vigor  and  success.     I  need  hardly  say 
that  each  one  of  the   seven  was  a  man  of  force  and   was 
admirably  qualified  for  his  special  work. 

The  youngest  was  Professor  Lincoln.  He  had  recently 
returned  from  Germany,  where  he  had  pursued  extended 
studies  in  the  classics  and  in  philosophy.  We  had  the 
pleasure  of  reading  Livy  with  him  while  he  was  preparing 
his  edition  of  that  author.  He  was  therefore  brimful  of 
enthusiasm  on  the  subject  and  fired  us  with  much  of  his 
own  spirit.  Although  we  were  studying  a  dead  language, 
no  classroom  was  more  alive  than  his.  He  was  intolerant 
of  sluggishness  or  laziness,  and  often  rebuked  it  with  a 
stinging  word.  "  I  have  forgotten,"  said  an  indolent  fellow 
one  day  in  reply  to  a  question.  "  Forgotten,"  was  the 
sharp  retort  of  the  teacher,"  Did  you  ever  know.?"  One 
answer  given  him  amused  him  and  the  class  as  affording 
rich  material  for  his  notes  on  Livy.  We  were  reading 
the  twenty-first  chapter,  which  describes  the  passage  of 
the  Alps  by  Hannibal.  The  professor  asked  one  of  the 
class  why  Hannibal  had  the  elephants  with  him.  With 
great  promptness  the  answer  came  "  to  draw  up  his 
cannon."  The  youth  who  made  the  reply  was  so  chaffed 
by  his  classmates  that  he  left  Brown  and  went  to  another 
college. 


84 


M 


emortes  o, 


B 


rown 


Professor  Boise,  who  afterwards  at  the  University  of 
Michigan  and  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary  won  so 
high  a  reputation,  had  charge  of  the  Greek.  He  mani- 
fested the  same  philological  acumen  which  always  distin- 
guished him.  But  he  seemed  to  us  at  that  time  to  dwell 
too  much  on  the  minutise  of  grammar,  and  not  enough  on 
the   beauties  of   Greek   literature.  '  The   current  saying 

among  us  was  that  "he 
would  die  for  an  en- 
clitic." But  it  is  im- 
possible to  over-state  the 
influence  which  he  and 
his  colleague  Professor 
Frieze  exerted  in  the 
West  through  their 
labors  at  the  University 
of  Michigan  in  diffusing 
love  for  the  study  of  the 
ancient  classics. 

The  librarian,  Pro- 
fessor Charles  C.  Jewett, 
who  had  been  in  Europe 
purchasing  books  for  the 
library,  had  charge  of  the 
instruction  in  French  in 
my  sophomore  year.  He 
was  greatly  beloved  by 
the  students.  It  was 
with  much  regret  that 
we  saw  him  accept  the  post  of  librarian  of  the  Smithsonian 
Institution.  He  afterwards  became  the  librarian  of  the 
Boston  Public  Library,  and  died  at  a  comparatively  early 
age. 

Fortunately  his  place  in  the  classroom  was  taken  by 
George  W.   Greene,   the   well-known   historical   scholar. 


Professor  Charles  C.  Jewett,  1835 
University  Librarian  1842-48 


Memories  of  Brow?i  85 

His  life  had  been  chiefly  spent  in  Europe.  The  revolu- 
tions of  1848  were  raging  while  we  were  under  him. 
Greatly  to  our  delight  and  I  may  add  to  our  profit  his 
time  in  the  classroom,  under  the  provocation  of  questions 
from  us,  was  chiefly  spent  in  discussing  European  affairs, 
and  especially  in  describing  the  eminent  persons  who 
were  conducting  the  military  or  political  movements. 
Not  a  few  of  these  he  knew  personally.  None  of  us  who 
hung  upon  his  lips  in  these  hours  can  ever  forget  his 
narratives.  He  had  the  art  of  the  best  French  raconteur. 
I  confess  that  my  own  intense  interest  in  European 
politics  and  history  dates  from  the  hours  I  sat  under  the 
spell  of  George  Greene's  fine  talk.  And  who  of  our  Amer- 
ican writers  has  surpassed  him  in  a  pure  and  flowing 
English  style. -^  I  am  sure  the  inspiration  of  the  contact 
with  so  finished  a  scholar  was  lost  on  but  few  of  the  class, 
even  though  the  demands  for  the  details  of  recitation 
were  not  very  exacting. 

Professor  Gammell  had  charge  of  our  writing  and 
speaking  and  also  of  the  work  in  history.  He  maintained 
the  tradition  of  pure  and  chaste  writing  which,  established 
under  Professor  Goddard,  has  I  am  happy  to  believe 
never  been  lost  at  Brown.  He  was  most  exacting  in  his 
demands  upon  the  writers,  and  no  one  willingly  subjected 
himself  to  the  humor  and  the  stings  of  his  pungent 
criticism.  Even  those  who  could  not  at  the  time  receive 
them  with  complacency  lived  to  recognize  in  them  with 
gratitude  "  the  wounds  of  a  friend."  No  teacher  rejoiced 
more  than  he  in  the  success  of  his  students  in  life  or 
watched  their  careers  with  more  interest.  His  course  in 
history  was  fuller  than  that  at  any  other  college  except 
Harvard.  It  was  chiefly  devoted  to  English  constitutional 
history,  though  some  time  was  given  to  American  con- 
stitutional history.     It  called  for  solid  and  fruitful  work. 

According   to   the   custom   of   those   days    in   all    the 


86  Memories  of  B 


rown 


colleges  one  man  was  called  to  give  instruction  in  several 
sciences.  This  man  was  Professor  Chace.  He  taught 
chemistry,  geology,  botany  and  physiology.  At  times  he 
also  conducted  classes  in  Butler's  Analogy.  He  really 
ought  to  have  been  assigned  to  the  teaching  of  philosophy. 
His  natural  bent  was  towards  metaphysics.  His  mind 
was  singularly  acute,  his  mental  processes  were  most 
logical;  his  style  of  expression  was  absolutely  lucid.  His 
instruction  was  therefore  highly  appreciated,  though  from 
the  brevity  of  the  courses  he  could  give  us  only  elementary 
instruction  in  science.  Laboratories  had  not  then  been 
introduced  anywhere  in  this  country.  His  opinion  on 
any  subject  carried  great  weight  with  the  students.  It 
was  generally  believed  that  no  one  could  outwit  him  by 
any  trick  or  device.  Therefore  the  vain  attempt  was 
seldom  made. 

Professor  Caswell,  who  gave  instruction  in  mathematics, 
astronomy  and  natural  philosophy,  had  of  all  the  teachers 
the  strongest  hold  on  the  affections  of  the  students.  To 
him  every  one  who  needed  sympathy  or  counsel  in- 
stinctively went.  His  great  warm  heart  drew  all  to  him. 
He  had  the  gift  of  making  mathematics  attractive  to  most 
students,  and  even  tolerable  to  that  inconsiderable  num- 
ber who  had  no  gift  or  no  taste  for  the  study.  When  the 
vote  on  recommending  for  degrees  was  to  be  taken,  he 
looked  with  abundant  charity  on  those  who  had  never 
been  able  to  pass  their  examinations  in  mathematics,  say- 
ing amiably,  "  Let  them  pass.  The  conies  are  a  feeble 
folk."  The  impress  of  his  beautiful  character  upon  all  the 
students  was  never  forgotten  or  entirely  effaced. 

President  Wayland  taught  us  intellectual  and  moral 
philosophy,  political  economy  and  (in  a  brief  course)  the 
evidences  of  Christianity.  I  have  met  not  a  few  of  the 
men  whom  the  world  has  called  great.  But  I  have  seldom 
met  a  man  who  so  impressed  me  with  the  weight  of  his  per- 


Memories  of  Brown 


87 


sonality  as  did  Dr.  Wayland.  After  making  due  allowance 
for  the  fact  that  I  was  but  a  youth  when  I  sat  under  his 
teaching,  I  still  think  that  by  his  power  of  intellect,  of  will 
and  of  character  he  deserved  to  be  ranked  with  the 
strongest  men  our  country  has  produced.  It  may  be  said 
of  him  as  of  his  friend,  Mark  Hopkins,  that  his  published 


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View  of  Providence  from  the  North,   1849 


writings  do  not  adequately  represent  the  man  as  his  pupils 
knew^  him.  As  a  teacher  he  was  unsurpassed.  His 
power  of  analyzing  a  subject  into  its  simple  elements  and 
his  power  of  happy  illustration,  often  humorous,  were 
equally  marked.  He  permitted  the  largest  liberty  of 
questioning  and  discussion,  but  he  insisted  that  the 
student  should  state  his  point  with  precision.  Frequently 
by  doing  this  the  student  answ^ered  his  owm  question. 
One-fourth  of  my  classmates  were  Southerners.  When 
we  came  to  the  subject  of  slavery  in  our  study  of  moral 
philosophy  we  discussed  it  for  three  w-eeks. 


88  Memories  of  Brown 

The  doctor's  son,  afterwards  known  as  the  Rev.  H.  L. 
Wayland,  inherited  his  wit  from  his  father,  and  often 
entertained  us  by  his  amusing  questions  propounded  to 
his  father  in  a  most  solemn  manner.  Once  he  stretched 
his  tall  frame  to  his  full  height  and  with  a  deep  voice  re- 
marked, "I  should  like  to  make  an  inquiry."  "Well,  my 
son,  go  on,"  responded  his  father.  "  I  observe,  sir,"  said 
the  son,  "that  in  the  treatise  we  are  now  studying  the 
learned  author  says  so  and  so,"  quoting  the  passage.  The 
class  seeing  that  fun  was  at  hand  were  all  prepared  to 
explode  with  laughter.  "Well,  my  son,  what  of  that?" 
said  the  doctor.  "  Well,  sir,  I  recall  the  fact  that  in  a 
noted  treatise  by  the  same  learned  author,  entitled  '  On 
the  Limitations  of  Human  Responsibility,'  he  remarked 
so  and  so,"  quoting  the  passage.  Obviously  the  passages 
were  contradictory  of  each  other.  The  class  and  the 
doctor  could  no  longer  restrain  their  laughter.  The  son 
was  the  only  serious  person  in  the  room.  We  were  in 
glee  at  seeing  how  the  father  was  apparently  cornered. 
We  did  not  foresee  how  wise  and  how  characteristic  was 
his  method  of  escape.  As  soon  as  he  could  get  a  hearing 
he  remarked,  "  It  only  shows,  my  son,  that  since  the 
learned  author  wrote  the  first  book,  he  has  learned  some- 
thing more."  I  say  this  answer  was  characteristic  because 
no  man  ever  held  his  view  more  open  to  the  vision  of  new 
truth  than  he. 

The  discipline  of  the  college  was  wholly  in  his  hands. 
In  administering  it  he  was  stern,  at  times  imperious.  But 
no  graduate  of  his  time  ever  failed  to  gain  from  him  higher 
ideals  of  duty  or  lasting  impulses  to  a  noble  and  strenuous 
life.  He  said  so  many  wise  things  to  us  and  uttered  them 
in  so  pithy  and  sententious  a  style  that  one  could  never 
forget  them.  I  presume  my  experience  is  like  that  of 
others,  when  I  say  that  hardly  a  week  of  my  life  has  passed 
in  which  I  have  not  recalled  some  of  his  apt  sayings  and 


Memories  of  Brown  89 

to  my  great  advantage.  Is  there  any  better  proof  than 
that  of  the  power  of  a  teacher  over  his  pupils? 

The  recitations  were  conckicted  in  a  manner  which  fur- 
nished a  remarkable  training  to  the  memory.  The 
first  man  called  on  was  asked  to  give  an  analysis  of  the 
lesson  assigned ;  the  second  man  then  took  up  the  dis- 
cussion as  given  in  the  textbook  or  in  the  lecture  of 
the  previous  day;  the  third,  when  called  on,  without 
prompting  followed  the  second,  and  so  on  with  the 
rest.  It  was  believed  by  the  students  that  a  pretty 
exact  verbal  reproduction  of  the  text  was  credited  with 
the  highest  marks,  consequently  the  best  scholars  culti- 
vated the  verbal  memory  so  that  they  gained  great  facility 
in  reproducing  a  text.  I  think  that  when  in  our  junior 
year  we  had  from  twelve  to  fifteen  pages  of  Smythe's 
Lectures  on  History  as  a  lesson,  at  least  half  a  dozen  men 
in  the  class  would  in  two  hours  prepare  themselves  to 
recite  the  whole  of  the  lesson  with  substantial  fidelity  to 
the  text.  I  think  this  practice  was  carried  to  excess.  At 
the  same  time  the  power  thus  acquired  has  been  of  great 
service  in  life  to  many  men.  I  ought  not  to  leave  the  im- 
pression that  ideas  were  not  esteemed  of  more  worth  than 
words.  The  utmost  freedom  of  asking  questions  and  of 
discussion  was  permitted  in  the  classroom,  unless  it  was 
obvious  that  the  liberty  was  abused. 

The  two  debating  societies,  the  Philermenian  and  the 
United  Brothers,  played  a  large  part  in  the  intellectual 
life  of  the  college  in  my  time.  Electioneering  for  securing 
members  was  carried  on  with  such  vigor  during  the 
earlier  weeks  of  the  year  that  the  freshmen  had  scarcely 
time  left  for  their  regular  duties.  I  have  heard  many  an 
old  graduate  say  that  he  regarded  the  benefit  derived  from 
the  society  to  which  he  belonged  as  equal  in  value  to  the 
help  secured  in  the  classroom.  Very  careful  preparation 
was  made  by  the  ablest  debaters  and  the  honors  they  won 


90 


Memories  of  Brown 


were  highly  cherished.  Mr.  Samuel  S.  Cox,  who  was  a 
senior  in  1845-46,  was  the  most  brilliant  debater  of  his  time 
in  college.  I  doubt  whether  in  his  long  congressional 
career  he  made  abler  speeches  than  some  to  which  we 
listened  from  him  in  the  United  Brothers'  Hall.  The 
society  halls  occupied  the  fourth  story  of  the  north  end  of 


Professor  James  B.  Angell,  1849 
(Taken  about  1860) 


Hope  College.  It  is  a  most  promising  sign  that  interest 
in  debating  has  revived  in  the  colleges. 

We  played  football  and  baseball  in  the  old-fashioned 
way  in  the  rear  of  Hope  College,  but  merely  among  our- 
selves. In  football,  the  seniors  and  sophomores  were 
pitted  against  the  juniors  and  freshmen,  and  all  who  chose 
took  part. 

Students  rarely  went  into   society  in   the   city  before 


Memories  of  Brown  91 

their  senior  year,  and  not  many  even  then.  We  found 
our  social  delights  in  our  college  intimacies.  The  num- 
ber of  students  was  so  small,  about  140,  that  one  could 
easily  know  them  all.  Most  of  us  took  our  meals  in 
Commons  Hall,  the  room  now  used  as  a  classroom  on  the 
first  floor  in  the  middle  of  the  east  side  of  University  Hall. 
Each  class  had  its  own  table.  If  the  fare  was  not  very 
sumptuous,  it  was  not  costly,  and  the  conversation  was 
lively.  Occasionally  it  became  so  boisterous  as  to  stir  the 
amiable  steward,  Mr.  Elliott,  known  familiarly  to  us  as 
"  Pluto,"  to  bring  down  his  big  bread-knife  with  a  loud 
resounding  whack  on  his  table,  and  to  shout  with  his 
husky  voice,  "  Order,  order."  I  cannot  say  that  the 
usages  in  Commons  Hall  were  conducive  to  elegant 
manners.  But  the  plain  meals  were  spiced  with  the  flavor 
of  excellent  companionship. 

As  we  did  not  mingle  much  with  the  outside  world,  the 
questions  which  we  sharply  discussed  with  each  other 
were  fortunately  largely  connected  with  our  studies  and 
reading.  We  were  divided  into  advocates  and  critics  of 
Carlyle,  of  Coleridge,  of  Macaulay,  of  Emerson  and  of 
others  whose  works  were  then  freshly  appearing,  and 
were  read  with  avidity.  I  cannot  resist  the  impression 
that  we  took  a  more  vital  interest  in  literary  discussions 
than  is  apparent  to  me  in  student  life  in  our  day.  Ques- 
tions of  politics  and  of  political  economy  seem  to  me  to 
absorb  the  attention  more  and  questions  of  literature  and 
philosophy  less  than  in  those  days.  Whether,  if  this  is 
so,  the  change  is  a  gain  or  a  loss,  need  not  be  argued  here. 

But  one  thing  is  certain.  Nowhere  could  college  life 
have  been  more  enjoyable  than  it  was  at  Brown  in  the 
period  under  consideration.  We  students  were  drawn  so 
closely  together,  we  were  so  little  distracted  by  outside 
life,  we  all  trod  so  exactly  the  same  path  in  our  studies, 
we  could  each  know  the  whole  body  of  our  companions 


92 


Memories  of  Brown 


so  intimately,  that  our  lives  flowed  on  as  in  a  stream,  and 
the  dearest  friendships  of  life  were  cemented  there. 

I  believe  that  no  college  in  the  country  furnished  a 
better  training  to  its  students  at  that  time.  The  careers 
of  the  men  who  were  then  undergraduates  are  the  best 
proof.  To  mention  only  a  few  of  my  college  mates,  Chief 
Justice  Durfee,  Judge  Franklin  J.  Dickman  of  Ohio,  and 
Honorable  S.  S.  Cox,  of  the  class  of  1846;  Professor 
George  P.  Fisher  and  Professor  James  P.  Boyce,  of  the 
class  of  1847;  Governor  Murrah  of  Texas,  of  the  class  of 
1848;  Benjamin  F.  Thurston  and  James  Tillinghast  and 
Julian  Hartridge  and  Rowland  Hazard,  of  my  own  class. 
Professor  James  O.  Murray  and  Edward  L.  Pierce,  the 
biographer  of  Sumner,  of  the  class  of  1850;  and  Professor 
Diman,  of  the  class  of  1851 ; — the  mother  that  produced 
such  sons  need  not  fear  to  ask  us  to  tell  of  those  days 
when  with  scanty  resources  and  a  faculty  of  seven  she 
performed  the  great  work  which  fell  to  her. 

James  Biirr'ill  Angcll,  iS^g. 


Memories  of  Brown  93 


Riding  a  Professor  ''Pickaback" 


ONE  of  the  mildest  and  most  chivalrous  of  gentle- 
men was  Professor  Romeo  Elton.     A  rapscallion, 
such  as  only  the  higher  education  can  produce, 
made  a  bet  with  his  chum  that   he  would  ride 
the  professor  pickaback  downstairs,  three  times,  in  Hope 
College.     The  first  and  second  trips  were   duly  accom- 
plished, the  student  apologizing  profusely  as  they  came 
into  the  light.     Finally  on   the  third  occasion,  the    pro- 
fessor spoke  courteously,  though  in  rather  petulant  tone, 
"  Very  excusable,  sir !     But  it  must  not  be  repeated." 
Dr.  Wayland's  humor  was  frequently  exercised.     Col- 
lege diseases  of  certain  types  are  often  epidemic.     Once 
in  the  chapel,  he  referred  to  these  recurring  cases  of  ill- 
ness in  terms  well  understood.     "  It  will  be  necessary," 
said  he,  "  for  us  to  rusticate  some  of   these   gentlemen, 
lest  they  die  on  our  hands." 

He  liked  to  tell  a  story,  even  at  the  expense  of  his  own 
profession ;  and  he  rallied  a  habit  of  certain  worthy 
clergymen  who  were  fond  of  instructing  the  Almighty  in 
prayer.  At  the  funeral  of  an  old  maid,  the  doctor  de- 
scribed a  didactic  enthusiast  as  he  said  with  great  unction, 
"  O  Lord !  Thou  knowest  this  woman  had  not  a  child  — 
nay,  more,  O  Lord !  —  Thou  knowest  she  had  not  even 
a  grandchild." 

Willi  am  Babcock  Weedcii,  iS^2. 


94  Memories  of  Brown 

Dr.  Boardman's  Recollections 
of  President  Wayland 


I  WAS  so  fortunate  as  to  graduate  from  Brown  Univer- 
sity the  same  year  in  which  Dr.  Wayland  graduated ; 
the  difference  being  that  he  graduated  as  president 
of  the  university,  and  I  only  as  an  undergraduate. 

President  Wayland  was  a  most  remarkable  man,  in 
every  way;  physically,  intellectually,  ethically.  His  ma- 
jestic presence,  his  massive  frame,  his  shaggy  eyebrows 
overhanging  his  penetrating  eyes,  were  most  awe-inspir- 
ing. Notwithstanding  this  portentous  presence,  he  was 
very  kind  and  tender-hearted.  He  had,  too,  a  keen  sense 
of  the  ludicrous  which  endeared  him  to  the  students.  It 
is  said  that  at  the  chapel  prayers,  which  in  my  time  were 
held  at  daybreak,  he  had  the  habit  of  closing  one  eye  and 
keeping  the  other  open  to  observe  the  students.  I  once 
saw  him  go  into  the  room  of  a  delinquent  student,  in  bed 
asleep  beyond  the  proper  time,  and  gently  tickle  his  feet 
with  a  feather  to  awaken  him. 

On  one  occasion,  my  fun-loving  comrades  dared  me 
to  enter  the  classroom  in  one  of  Dr.  Adoniram  Judson's 
collars,  which  came  up  to  my  eyes.  The  president 
fastened  that  majestic  gaze  upon  the  ridiculous  linen,  and 
sternly  said, 

"  What  fashion  of  collar  is  that  you  have  on  sir  ?  " 

"  It  is  my  step-father's.  Dr.  Judson's,  sir." 

"  I  apologize,"  he  retorted,  "  pray  wear  it  every  day  of 
your  life." 


Mi 


emortes 


ofB 


rown 


95 


Along  with  other  undergraduates,  who  were  provoked 
by  the  discipHne  of  some  of  the  faculty  against  certain 
students,  which  was  termed  a  persecution,  I  was  once  led 
into  a  state  which  resulted  in  a  fit  of  boyish  determina- 
tion to  leave  the  college  the  next  day.  The  president,  as 
he  was  returning  from  one  of  his  classes,  met  me  on  the 
street,  took  me  by  the  arm,  and  said  grimly,  "  Before  you 
go,  will  you  kindly  honor  me  with  a  call  ?  I  shall  be  at 
home  between  3  and  4  o'clock  this  afternoon." 

It  is  needless  to  say  the  incipient  insurrection  was  ended. 

George  Dana  Boardman,  18^2. 


96  Memories  of  Brown 

President  Magill's  Memories 
of  Brown 


I  SHALL  never  forget  my  first  meeting  with  Dr.  Fran- 
cis Wayland.  It  was  in  the  autumn  of  the  year  1851. 
I  had  finished  my  freshman  year  at  Yale  the  previous 
commencement,  and  been  admitted  to  the  sophomore 
class.  I  read  at  that  time  the  doctor's  pamphlet  on  The 
New  College  System  of  Electives,  which  he  presented 
in  a  manner  that  attracted  me,  just  after  his  return  from  a 
visit  to  Europe.  I  saw  in  it  a  way,  as  I  thought,  of  secur- 
ing my  A.  B.  degree  at  Brown  in  '52,  instead  of  graduating 
with  my  class  at  Yale  in  '54,  as  I  had  completed  the  full 
mathematical  course  required  before  I  entered  college  and 
could  give  my  whole  attention  to  Latin  and  Greek,  almost 
the  only  other  real  essentials  in  a  college  course  at  that 
time.  I  called  on  the  doctor,  at  his  home,  at  the  head 
of  College  street,  and  was  introduced  into  his  study,  on 
the  first  floor,  in  the  southeast  corner  of  the  house.  He 
rose  as  I  entered  and  met  me  in  the  middle  of  the  room. 
He  did  not  ask  me  to  take  a  seat,  but  the  interview  was 
all  held  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  a  practice,  I 
was  told,  of  his  to  prevent  too  long  interviews  with  a  busy 
man.  I  stated  my  situation  as  a  member  of  the  sophomore 
class  at  Yale,  and  showed  him,  in  as  few  words  as  possible, 
what  I  desired  to  do.  Looking  at  me  keenly  with  those 
dark,  deep-set  eyes,  from  under  his  shaggy  eyebrows  (he 
had  a  retreating  forehead,  with  eyebrows  projecting  far 
over  his  eyes),  he  remarked  in  a  very  decided  and  rather 


JsiSLlhtmS^ 


Mi 


em  ones  o 


of  Bro 


wn 


97 


forbidding  tone,  "Young  man,  what  you  propose  to  do 
is  possible,  but  not  probable."  "  Well,"  I  replied,  "  if  it 
is  possible  I  will  try  it  with  your  permission."  He  gave 
the  desired  permission,  and  I  was  about  to  take  my  leave, 
when  he  suddenly  added,  "  There  is  one  more  matter  to 
be  settled.  Students  are  all  required  to  attend  church  on 
Sundays,  and  they  choose  what- 
ever church  they  please  at  the 
opening  of  the  year,  and  that 
church  they  must  regularly  attend. 
Which  one  will  you  choose?" 
Remembering  that  our  branch  of 
Friends  was  not  represented  in 
New^  England,  I  hesitated  a  mo- 
ment whether  to  choose  the 
Friends  meeting,  or  the  Unitarian 
Church  or  the  doctor's  own  ser- 
service  which  was  held  regularly 
then  in  Manning  Hall  over  the 
library.      Seeing    my  hesitation, 

he  added  in  that  stern  manner  of  his  that  almost  fright- 
ened me,  though  I  was  not  easily  frightened,  "  Young 
man,  when  a  man  has  lost  his  religion,  I  tell  him  Provi- 
dence is  a  good  place  to  come  and  find  it,  for  we  have  all 
sorts  here."  To  this  I  replied  at  once,  "  I  will  go  and  hear 
you,  doctor,"  and  he  took  my  name  as  one  to  attend 
service  in  Manning  Hall,  and  I  went  regularly  through 
my  course  at  Brown,  and  never  had  occasion  to  regret 
my  choice. 


Edward  Hicks  Magill,  1852 


In  the  spring  of  '52  our  class  was  reciting  to  the  doctor 
our  lesson  in  moral  philosophy.  We  usually  had  about 
ten  or  twelve  pages,  and  the  manner  of  recitation  was 
this:  The  doctor  first  called  upon  some  member  of  the 
class  to  give  a  synopsis  of  the  lesson.     A  perfect  lesson 


^®  Memories  of  B 


rown 


consisted  in  naming  all  of  the  topics  in  their  regular  order 
without  mistake,  and  with  no  suggestion  from  the  presi- 
dent. Then  the  next  man  in  order  was  called,  and  he 
must  take  up  and  discuss  the  first  topic,  the  next  man  the 
next,  and  so  on,  till  the  close ;  when  the  doctor  himself 
would  enlarge  upon  the  subject,  giving  very  interesting 
and  suggestive  talks,  but  these  were  rarely  intermingled 
with  the  recitation,  he  doing  his  talking  after  we  had  all 
been  heard  without  interruption.  If  the  doctor  had  to 
question  a  student  to  get  him  to  clear  up  properly  a  point 
not  fully  discussed,  that  always  counted  against  a  student 
in  his  marks.  We  were  marked  on  a  scale  of  20,  the 
highest  mark  being  20.  This  practice  was  the  same  in 
Professor  Caswell's  classes  in  mathematics,  and  somewhat 
the  same  in  classes  generally  in  my  time  at  Brown.  A 
member  of  the  class,  whom  I  will  call  A,  was  often  late 
in  reaching  the  doctor's  classroom.  One  morning  he 
came  in  late  and  took  his  seat  just  as  the  man  above  him 
finished  his  topic,  and  the  doctor,  with  a  somewhat  quiz- 
zical expression,  called  upon  A  for  the  next  topic.  He 
rose,  looked  confused,  and  then  remarked  that  he  had 
not  heard  the  topic  just  discussed.  Without  a  word  of 
censure  or  look  of  disapproval,  and  without  a  suggestive 
remark,  the  doctor  simply  said,  "  The  next  will  proceed," 
and  A  sat  down  in  confusion,  while  the  next  took  up  the 
required  topic.  The  recitation  went  on  as  usual,  and  it 
is  needless  to  add  that  that  lateness  of  A  was  his  last,  at 
'least  in  the  doctor's  classes.  The  doctor  was  a  man  of 
few  words  when,  in  his  judgment,  action  would  better 
serve  the  purpose  intended. 

On  one  occasion,  for  some  reason,  the  doctor's  class  in 
moral  philosophy  seemed  less  interested  than  usual,  and 
showed  a  listlessness  and  perhaps  a  disposition  to  talk 
which  was  quite  unusual  in  his  classes,  where  good  order 


Memories  of  Brown  99 

and  attention  mostly  prevailed.  The  doctor  suddenly 
stopped  in  the  mist  of  an  explanation  of  a  difficult  point, 
and  said,  "Gentlemen,  perhaps  you  think  I  am  making 
no  sacrifice  in  giving  my  time  to  you,  but  I  can  tell  you 
that  you  are  much  mistaken  in  thinking  so;  instead  of 
devoting  myself  here  to  some  score  or  so  of  unapprccia- 
tive  young  men,  I  might  be  writing  books,  and  have,  in- 
stead of  you,  an  audience  of  many  thousands."  His  calm 
and  decided  manner,  and  especially  his  pained  expression, 
which  I  have  never  forgotten,  made  as  much  impression 
upon  us  as  his  earnest  words.  The  idle  and  listless 
greatly  regretted  the  interruption,  and  were  instantly 
called  to  order  by  that  pained  expression,  and  stopped  at 
the  close  of  the  class  to  make  ample  apologies.  While 
the  doctor  was  not,  at  all  times,  equally  inspiring,  he  en- 
joyed the  most  unbounded  confidence  and  respect  of  all 
who  were  privileged  to  listen  to  his  teaching. 

The  doctor's  examinations,  which  were  generally  in 
writing,  were  conducted  in  a  manner  that  clearly  showed 
his  confidence  in  his  men,  and  made  them,  with  very 
rare  exceptions  indeed,  worthy  of  that  confidence.  In- 
stead of  having  an  extra  teacher  in  the  room  to  aid  in 
watching,  to  see  that  no  cheating  was  done  in  examina- 
tion, and  placing  the  teacher  in  the  rear  to  watch  them 
from  behind  while  he  kept  a  sharp  lookout  in  front,  he 
never  called  in  any  aids,  and  left  the  room  himself  quite 
frequently  while  the  examination  proceeded,  leaving  his 
men  alone.  At  the  end  of  the  examination  he  required 
each  man  to  write  and  sign  this  statement:  "In  the 
preparation  of  this  paper  I  have  neither  given  nor  received 
assistance."  I  believe  that  the  confidence  thus  reposed 
in  his  class  has  borne  much  good  fruit  in  after  years. 
As  this  course  was  far  less  common  then  than  today,  I 
have  often  referred  to  it  with  satisfaction. 


100  Memories  of  Brown 

Professor  George  I.  Chace  was  my  professor  of  chem- 
istry during  my  course  in  Brown.  His  lectures  on  chem- 
istry were  to  me  remarkably  clear,  and  his  careful  synop- 
tical review  of  each  lecture  contributed  much  to  this 
result,  and  aided  us  in  fixing  them  in  our  memory.  The 
consequence  was  that  most  students,  at  all  attentive,  suc- 
ceeded well  in  his  "quizzes."  When  anyone  did  not,  it 
was  usually  from  inattention,  and  the  professor  had  little 
patience  with  idle  and  inattentive  students.  One  student, 
who  had  often  tried  the  patience  of  the  professor,  was 
undergoing  an  examination  upon  some  chemical  test. 
The  question  was  whether  indigo  would  float  or  sink  in  a 
certain  solution.  The  student  in  his  explanation  said  that 
the  indigo  floated  or  sunk,  he  did  not  remember  which, 
but  he  knew  that  it  was  one  way  or  the  other.  "  One 
way  or  the  other,"  exclaimed  the  professor,  quite  losing 
his  patience  for  once,  "Everything  in  life  is  one  zuay  oj'- 
the  other,  and  what  you  come  to  college  for  is  \.o  find  out 
which  way  it  is'.'  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  dullard 
was  too  much  overcome  to  continue  his  examination. 


Professor  John  L.  Lincoln  was  another  well  remembered 
member  of  Dr.  Wayland's  able  and  efificient  faculty.  I 
have  always  regarded  him  as  the  best  teacher  of  Latin 
that  I  ever  had.  He  was  strict  and  scholarly,  but  always 
kind  and  courteous  in  his  manner  with  his  students.  A 
careless  fellow  whose  lessons  were  rarely,  if  ever,  well  pre- 
pared, rose  to  recite  the  familiar  ode  of  Horace  in  which 
he  congratulates  himself  on  finishing  a  book  of  his  odes, 
opening  with  the  well-known  words,  "  Exegi  monumentum 
cere  perennius."  ("  I  have  raised  a  monument  more 
lasting  than  brass,")  and  mistaking  the  cgi  of  exegi  for  a 
part  of  the  verb  cdo,  "  to  eat,"  he  began  briskly,  "  I  have 
eaten  a  monument  harder  than   brass,"  whereupon   the 


Memories  of  Brow7i  101 

professor  quickly  but  courteously  remarked,  "  That  will 
do.     You  may  sit  down  and  digest  it." 

I  did  not  myself  witness  the  above,  but  heard  it  as- 
cribed to  Professor  Lincoln,  and  although  different  from 
his  usual  courteous  manner,  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  it. 

Sometime  after  tlie  resignation  of  President  Wayland, 
and  the  appointment  of  the  Rev.  Barnas  Sears  in  his 
place,  having  the  care  of  Dr.  Sears's  two  sons  in  my  class 
in  the  high  school,  the  doctor  invited  me  and  a  few  other 
gentlemen  to  meet  Edward  Everett,  on  the  occasion  of 
his  visit  to  the  university.  We  were  shown  through  the 
different  buildings,  and  the  then  modern  improvements 
by  the  introduction  of  scientific  studies,  which  Dr.  Way- 
land  had  done  so  much  to  promote,  were  pointed  out. 
We  were,  I  think,  in  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  then  new 
science  building  erected  on  the  grounds,  when  Mr. 
Everett  was  called  upon  for  a  speech.  He  spoke,  of 
course,  in  the  highest  terms  of  Dr.  Wayland,  and  of  the 
bold  innovations  that  he  had  made  in  the  old  college  cur- 
riculum, and  we  all  felt  that  when  he  came  to  speak  of  his 
successor  he  had  a  difficult  task  before  him,  but,  as  always, 
our  great  American  orator  was  equal  to  the  occasion,  and 
turning  toward  Dr.  Sears,  with  one  of  his  inimitably 
graceful  gestures,  he  added,  calling  Vergil  to  his  aid,  "And 
the  golden  branch  furnished  yEneas,  as  a  species  of  en- 
chanter's wand,  plucked  from  the  bough,  that  brought 
forth  another,  whenever  a  branch  was  plucked  from  it," 
and  added,  "  Priino  avulso,  iioii  deficit  alteri' 

Edivard  Hicks  Magill,  i8j2. 


102  Memories  of  Brown 


Student  Pranks  in  the  Fifties 


IN  the  early  fifties  we  had  few  athletic  sports,  or  in 
fact  anything  to  work  off  the  surplus  energy  of 
a  boy ;  consequently,  there  was  more  mischief  and 
innocent  deviltry  going  on  than  at  the  present  day. 
A  few  incidents  come  to  mind.  Under  Professor  Greene 
in  modern  languages  our  classroom  was  in  the  rear  of 
University  Hall  on  the  first  story  and  one  warm  day  in 
summer  the  windows  being  open  it  was  prearranged  to 
have  a  small  dog  in  the  room  who  was  fond  of  chasing  a 
ball.  One  was  thrown  in  repeatedly  through  the  open 
window  and  of  course  the  small  dog  went  for  it  each  time. 
At  another  time  during  the  winter  some  of  the  boys  threw 
some  asafoetida  down  the  register  and  it  was  quite  fra- 
grant. The  professor  remarked  that  he  perceived  a  very 
disagreeable  odor  in  the  room,  but  if  we  could  stand  it  he 
could  also. 

Professor  Casw^ell  was  one  of  God's  noblemen  and  very 
popular  with  his  classes.  In  our  recitation-room  the 
seats  were  raised  on  three  sides  of  the  room.  One  day 
we  made  arrangements  at  the  commencement  of  the  reci- 
tation to  cross  our  legs  and  all  swing  them  in  unison. 
The  professor  remarked,  "  Young  gentlemen,  mathe- 
matics does  not  consist. in  swinging  the  legs."  One  morn- 
ing he  called  on  me  to  recite  and  in  a  moment  he  re- 
marked, "  I  beg  your  pardon,  I  called  upon  you  yester- 
day —  next." 

Professor  Lincoln  was  very  popular  and  just  in  every 
way.     On  one  occasion  a  boy  was  rendering  his  transla- 


M, 


em  ones 


of  Bro 


w?i 


103 


tion  in  Latin  and  aftcM"  he  had  finished  the  professor  re- 
marked quietly  that  it  was  a  very  "  smart  "  translation, 
but  that  he  had  ridden  the  "pony"  too  accurately. 

During  our  sophomore  year  two  freshmen  boasted  that 
no  "  sophs  "  could  duck  them,  that  they  had  a  club  at  the 

head  of  their  bed  and 
that  their  visitors  would 
get  it  hot  and  heavy. 
They  bragged  so  much 
that  five  of  us,  who 
were  often  banded  to- 
gether, thought  it  our 
duty  to  give  them  a  lit- 
tle cold  water.  It  was 
a  fine  December  night 
when  one  of  our  crowd 
came  into  my  room 
and  said,  "  Let  us  duck 
those  fellows  to-night." 
We  gathered  the  others 
and  got  two  pails  full  of 
water  from  the  well  and 
a  four-foot  stick  of 
wood  and  quietly  went 
up  to  "  Pandemonium  " 
(the  name  given  the 
fourth  story  of  University  Hall)  to  room  number  56.  At 
a  signal  two  broke  in  the  door  with  the  stick,  the  writer 
went  in  first  and  pulled  down  the  bedclothes,  and  the  two 
others  each  gave  them  a  pail  of  water.  They  did  not 
wake  until  the  water  struck  them,  and  the  club  so  nicely 
whittled  out  was  of  no  use. 

At  the  north  end  of  "  Pandemonium  "  roomed  a  sopho- 
more who  had  rendered  himself  very  obnoxious  while  we 
were  freshmen.     He  had  a  box-stove  in  his  room,  as  wood 


Lemuel  H.  Elliott 
Registrar,  1828-1864 


104  Memories  of  B 


rown 


was  in  use  at  that  time.  One  evening  he  missed  his  stove 
and  went  around  inquiring  if  any  one  had  seen  it.  Of 
course  no  one  was  able  to  impart  any  information,  but  the 
following  morning  he  found  it  on  the  ground  under  his 
window,  a  fit  subject  for  the  junk-dealer. 

Frequently  we  would  make  a  call  on  a  freshman,  each 
of  us  with  a  pipe  or  cigar,  and  we  could  tell  at  once  from 
his  attitude  toward  his  unwelcome  visitors  whether  he  was 
a  proper  subject  to  "  smoke  out."  Occasionally  a  bonfire 
would  be  started  on  the  back  campus  and  the  cry  of  fire 
would  rout  out  the  fire  company.  They  appreciated  the 
joke  and  we  always  gave  them  three  hearty  cheers,  which 
were  returned  with  the  same  good  feeling.  One  day  we 
thought  we  would  screw  the  pulpit  doors  in  Manning 
Hall  together  so  that  Dr.  Wayland  could  not  enter  the 
pulpit.  We  were  all  on  hand  for  prayers  the  following 
morning,  when  to  our  astonishment  the  doctor  walked 
into  the  pulpit  as  usual.  A  few  weeks  afterwards  one  of 
our  number  was  in  Registrar  Elliott's  ofKice  and  "  Pluto," 
little  dreaming  that  he  was  talking  with  one  of  the  partici- 
pants, remarked  that  by  chance  he  thought  he  would 
look  into  the  pulpit  one  morning,  which  was  not  his  usual 
custom,  and  found  the  doors  screwed  together,  which  de- 
fect he  had  immediately  repaired.  After  that  he  religi- 
ously examined  them  every  morning.  Other  student 
pranks  which  I  remember  were  wrapping  the  college  bell 
in  cloth  so  that  it  would  not  ring,  leading  a  horse  to  the 
top  floor  of  University  Hall  in  order  to  make  suggestions 
to  the  college  officers  as  to  how  to  get  it  down,  and  rolling 
a  cannon-ball  the  length  of  the  long  hallways  in  the  old 
college  building. 

No  student  was  allowed  to  attend  the  theatres  or  leave 
the  city  without  permission.  Once  I  had  my  ticket  bought 
to  hear  Jenny  Lind  on  her  first  appearance  in  Provi- 
dence.    By  permission  of  my  father,  but  contrary  to  the 


Memories  of  B?^ow/i  '  05 

wishes  of  Dr.  Wayland,  I  went,  however,  and  the  result 
was  seventy  demerits,  the  first  I  had  received  in  nearly 
two  years. 

It  was  the  custom  for  the  professors  to  call  at  the 
students'  rooms  sometime  during  the  evening,  as  it  was 
against  the  rule  to  go  out  without  permission.  There  was 
one  professor  whose  delight  it  was  to  find  the  boys  out. 
He  would  sometimes  go  outside  the  building  and  notice 
that  a  room  was  dark,  and  then  call.  We  would  collect  in 
the  rooms  of  his  division  and  turn  the  lights  out  when  he 
was  sure  to  call,  but  to  his  surprise  and  disappointment 
he  would  find  us  in.  This  was  in  University  Hall.  Some 
of  us  did  not  like  this  method  of  supervision  and  changed 
our  rooms  to  Hope  College,  where  we  were  under  Pro- 
fessor Porter,  one  of  the  most  honorable  men  that  ever 
drew  the  breath  of  life.  One  evening  he  called  at  our 
rooms  and  remarked  that  Dr.  Wayland  had  given  him 
orders  not  only  to  call  but  to  report  to  him  how  often  he 
did  call  and  that  it  was  altogether  against  his  wish  or  de- 
sire to  do  so.  We  never  left  our  rooms  without  asking 
his  permission.  He  placed  us  on  our  honor  and  we  did 
not  wish  to  betray  the  confidence  he  placed  in  us.  He 
did  not  remain  long  at  Brown  but  returned  to  Yale,  much 
to  the  regret  of  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

The  famous  rebellion  took  place,  I  think,  in  1852.  For 
some  time  the  two  large  societies,  the  Philermenian  and 
the  United  Brothers,  had  been  dwindling  in  their  Satur- 
day afternoon  meetings.  A  petition  was  sent  to  the  fac- 
ulty requesting  permission  to  hold  these  meetings  on  Fri- 
day evenings  instead.  It  was  signed  by  nearly  every 
member  of  the  university,  but  greatly  to  our  disappoint- 
ment it  was  rejected.  A  vote  was  taken  in  each  of  the 
societies  to  meet  the  following  Friday  evening  and  ac- 
cordingly a  large  meeting  was  held  ;  but  very  soon  a  loud 
rap  at  the  door  was  heard  and  when  it  was  opened  there 


106  Memories  of  B 


rown 


stood  Dr.  Wayland.  In  his  stern  heavy  voice  he  said,  if 
I  remember  correctly,  these  words,  "  By  the  authority 
vested  in  me,  I  request  you  to  disperse  as  soon  as  possible 
under  pain  of  suspension  from  college."  This  request 
was  very  soon  obeyed.  On  the  following  morning  his 
bust,  which  had  been  recently  made  for  the  university, 
was  found  dangling  from  the  tree  situated  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  the  chapel,  and  feeling  ran  very  high 
among  the  students.  The  final  result  of  the  above  unfor- 
tunate affair  was  that  at  the  end  of  the  term  several  of  the 
students  left  for  other  colleges.  The  bust  was  taken 
down  by  the  college  authorities  and  thenceforth  disap- 
peared from  view.  I  have  later  learned  that  Dr.  Way- 
land,  who  was  much  pained  and  chagrined  at  the  per- 
formance, gave  the  bust  to  Reuben  A.  Guild,  the  librarian 
of  the  college,  with  the  request  that  it  should  be  kept 
from  his  sight  forever.  Dr.  Guild  stored  it  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  old  library,  where  it  remained  for  many  years, 
until  the  new  library  was  built,  when  Dr.  Guild  resusci- 
tated it  and  had  it  cleaned  up  and  repainted.  Just  before 
his  death,  he  presented  it  to  the  Rhode  Island  Historical 
Society,  in  whose  gallery  it  now  is. 

Willi  a  in  Smith  Granger,  18^4.. 


Me^nories  of  Brown  107 


A  Flagrant  Failim 


ONE  little  incident  lingers  in  my  memory  which  il- 
lustrates the  guilelessness  of  Dr.  Wayland,  and 
which,  however  often  repeated,  never  appeared 
to  awaken  his  suspicion. 
There  was,  in  the  class  of '55,  an  individual  who  was  ex- 
ceedingly shaky  in  the  subjects  of  intellectual  and  moral 
philosophy.  As  in  the  process  of  daily  questioning  the 
circle  appeared  to  be  approaching  him,  he  would  lean  for- 
ward nervously  and  whisper  to  a  near-by  student  "  Quick, 
ask  him  a  question."  As  the  student  thus  requested 
would  have  been  the  last  to  be  suspected  of  collusion,  the 
doctor  would  smile  most  graciously,  tip  back  in  his  chair, 
place  his  feet  on  the  rounds,  spread  his  bandanna  hand- 
kerchief on  his  knees,  and  proceed  to  discourse  to  us  for 
several  minutes.  The  weak-kneed  individual  of  the  class 
breathed  more  freely,  and  the  danger  for  that  day  was 
passed. 

The  doctor,  however,  had  one  bad  habit  for  a  college  ' 
president, —  that  of  tobacco  chewing.  It  was  too  flagrant  a 
failing  not  to  be  attacked,  so  at  one  of  the  semi-annual 
exhibitions  there  appeared  on  the  "  mock  programmes  " 
prepared  for  the  occasion  the  announcement  that  "  Dr. 
Wayland,  with  his  accustomed  accuracy,  will  now  snuff  a 
candle  with  tobacco   juice  at  a  distance  of   five  paces." 

William  H.  Pabodic,  185 5- 


108  Memories  of  Brown 


Painting  the  President's  Horse 


R.  WAYLAND  never  spoke  dis- 
paragingly of  any  statement  or 
opinion  of  a  student,  but  sought 
to  have  him  show  his  abihty  to 
prove  the  idea  that  he  advanced. 
In  his  moral  philosophy  lectures, 
so  remarkable  in  presenting  great  truths,  he  was  accus- 
tomed toallude  to  the  Proverbs  of  Solomon  as  proving  their 
divine  origin  by  the  wonderful  use  of  the  small  words  in  con- 
cise expressions  that  did  not  admit  of  any  double  mean- 
ing. He  always  encouraged  the  freest  discussion  with 
honest  criticism  on  all  subjects.  Once  in  the  class,  a 
student  said  that  he  differed  from  the  doctor  and  did  not 
think  it  required  any  special  effort  or  the  exercise  of  genius 
to  add  a  chapter  to  the  Proverbs  we  already  had.  The 
doctor  simply  said,  "  We  shall  be  glad  to  have  you  pre- 
pare an  additional  chapter,  and  I  will  call  on  you  for  it 
at  the  close  of  the  next  lecture."  Accordingly  he  asked 
for  it,  but  it  was  not  read.  It  remains  to  this  day  the 
"  Unwritten  Chapter  of  the  Proverbs." 

While  Dr.  Wayland  enforced  discipline,  he  preserved 
the  individuality  of  the  student  and  made  him  feel  that 
his  success  depended  upon  his  submission  to  the  law 
which  made  obedience  a  virtue.  A  marked  example  of 
his  methods  was  the  manner  in  which  he  dealt  with  the 
student  who  painted  his  horse.  He  had  a  most  beautiful 
bay  saddle  horse  which  was  kept  in  the  barn  across  the 
lawn  in  the  rear  of  the  students'  rooms  and  in  sight  of  all 


Memories  of  Brown  109 

the  students  who  were  on  that  side.  It  was  one  of  the 
duties  of  the  hostler  to  water  the  horse  and  groom  him 
there,  offering  to  the  students  an  unexpected  opportunity 
for  sport.  One  of  them,  who  never  entrusted  his  secret 
to  anyone,  conceived  the  idea  of  a  hippodrome,  in  which 
the  doctor's  horse  would  be  conspicuous.  One  Friday 
night  he  procured  some  white  paint  and  stealthily  painted 
the  horse  like  a  zebra.  The  hostler,  on  unlocking  the 
barn  and  discovering  the  transformation,  closed  the  door, 
turned  the  key  and  reported  to  the  doctor.  He  asked, 
"  Has  anyone  seen  the  animal.^  "  "  No,  sir,"  replied  the 
hostler.  "  Well,  you  have  acted  very  shrewdly.  Feed  and 
water  him  well.  Do  not  speak  of  it  to  anyone  and  we 
will  find  out  who  did  it." 

He  then  asked  his  sons  to  tell  him  the  name  of  the 
first  student  that  said  the  word  "  horse."  It  was  the  next 
Friday  afternoon,  while  playing  on  the  campus,  that  a 
young  man  running  along  asked  the  boys  there,  "Where 
is  your  father's  horse } "  They  answered  that  they  did 
not  know,  but  informed  their  father  of  the  incident.  Dr. 
Wayland  immediately  wrote  the  young  man  a  note  invit- 
ing him  to  come  to  his  room  at  a  quarter  to  eight  o'clock 
that  evening.  It  was  quite  an  honor  to  be  thus  noticed, 
and  he  was  on  hand  promptly.  The  doctor  was  writing, 
and  turning  up  his  eyes  said,  "  Good  evening,  my  son. 
Excuse  me  till  I  finish  this  paragraph."  Sitting  back  in 
his  chair,  he  said,  "  I  wrote  you  to  know  where  you  got 
the  paint  that  you  used  on  my  horse."  The  whole  thing 
was  called  up  so  suddenly  that  the  culprit  could  only  tell 
him  the  street  and  number. 

The  doctor  replied,  "  It  is  now  a  week  since  your  artistic 
work,  and  the  paint  is  dried  on,  but  you  can  use  turpen- 
tine and  clean  it  off.  John  will  bring  the  horse  out  to  the 
pump  at  nine  o'clock  to-morrow  morning  and  help  you  do 
it." 


10 


M, 


em  ones  o. 


B 


rown 


Not  another  word  was  said  about  it.  He  turned  the 
conversation  upon  the  boy's  studies  and  his  college  course, 
and  encouraged  him  in  his  work.  The  story  soon  became 
known  around  the  campus,  and  some  time  later  in  his 
recitation-room  Dr.  Wayland  said,  "  Never  enter  on  any 
doubtful  course,  for  be  sure  your  sin  will  find  you  out. 
There  is  nothing  so  dif^cult  to  keep  as  your  own  secret, 
and  in  an  unguarded  moment  you  will  say  the  word 
"  korser 

John  Ledyard  Dcnison,  i8^^. 


Memories  of  Brown 


The  Story  of  Dr.  Wayland's  Cow 


IN  1856  I  became  a  member  of  the  household  of  Rev. 
James  B,  Simmons  of  Providence,  who  was  an 
alumnus  of  Brown  in  the  class  of  1851.  Dr.  Simmons 
tried  to  interest  and  encourage  me  to  persevere  in  a 
course  of  education,  and  frequently  rehearsed  some  item 
of  history  of  his  Alma  Mater, —  not  always  dwelling  on 
the  serious  work  of  college  life,  but  often  referring  to 
absurd  and  questionable  pranks  of  mischievous  students. 
The  one  that  I  remember  most  clearly  was  the  story  of 
the  capture  and  sale  of  "  Moss  Rose,"  Dr.  Wayland's 
beautiful  cow.  This  valuable  animal  disappeared,  and  no 
trace  of  her  could  be  found,  although  careful  inquiry  was 
made  through  the  town,  in  Seekonk  and  in  other  adjoin- 
ing towns.  Finally  the  search  was  abandoned,  and  an- 
other cow  was  bought.  This  new  cow  proved  to  be  very 
satisfactory,  and  her  milk  was  almost  equal  in  quality  to 
that  of  "  Moss  Rose."  In  fact  the  new  animal  had  many 
of  the  peculiarities  of  the  former  occupant  of  the  same 
stall,  though  she  was  different  in  color  and  her  horns  were 
shorter.  The  horns  of  "  Moss  Rose  "  were  curved  near 
the  ends  and  were  tipped  with  brass  balls  while  the  new- 
cow  had  shorter  horns  with  blunt  ends.  "  Moss  Rose  " 
was  bright  red  with  white  spots  on  various  parts  of  her 
body,  while  the  new  cow  was  the  same  general  bright  red 
without  spots.  But  when  spring  came  and  she  shed  her 
winter's  coat  of  hair,  she  too  had  white  spots  precisely  like 
those  on  "  Moss  Rose  "  in  location  and  size,  and  behold  ! 
her  indentity  with  the  lost  beast  was  thoroughly  established. 


12 


M. 


em  ones  o, 


B 


rown 


At  last,  after  "  Moss  Rose's  "  death,  a  student  wrote  a 
biographical  poem  in  which  he  referred  to  some  of  the 
specially  interesting  scenes  in  the  old  cow  s  eventful  life. 
This  poem  was  read  at  a  memorial  service  in  Manning 
Hall  in  1850  or  1851. 

William  H.  Steivart. 


Memo?'ies  of  Brown  I  i  3 

Garbs  and  Customs  .of  Half  a  Cen- 
tury Ago 


ONE  of  the  most  conspicuous  changes  in  the  ex- 
ternal appearance  of  college  life  in  the  last  fifty 
years  is  that  which  has  taken  place  in  the  attire 
of  the  students.  Entering  college  in  my  seven- 
teenth year  I  was  still  wearing  "  jacket  "  and  trousers. 
How  this  garb  appeared  can  be  determined  only  by  con- 
sulting pictures  of  that  date.  No  such  garment  as  a 
"  jacket  "  is  seen  on  boys  of  to-day.  Before  the  end  of  my 
first  year  in  college  I  donned  bosom  shirts  and  coat  and 
waistcoat.  Except  in  summer  black  was  the  only  color. 
In  summer  "wash  "  trousers  were  often  worn.  The  coat 
was  a  frock.  Cutaways  or  sacks  were  seen  on  only  one 
member  of  the  class,  the  heir  of  a  wealthy  family  who  was 
not  confined  to  provincial  usages,  and  who  was  some- 
times derisively  spoken  of  as  "  bobtail."  To  appear  in 
trousers  of  a  lighter  hue  was  regarded  so  shocking  that 
Professor  Dunn  insisted  on  loaning  a  pair  of  his  own 
trousers  to  a  member  of  my  class  who  appeared  at  our 
"  exhibition  "  and  who  preferred  to  have  none  but  drab 
trousers.  Evening  coats  were  worn  in  the  day-time  by 
participants  in  commencement  or  other  public  exercises. 
One  of  our  professors  wore  out  an  evening  or  "  dress " 
coat  discarded  as  "  best "  by  using  it  as  his  daily  attire. 
The  only  head-gear,  excepting  the  straw  hat  for  summer, 
that  I  wore  was  either  a  "  cap  "  or  a  silk  hat.  I  think  that 
felt  hats  were  not  commonly  worn  until  after  Kossuth's 
visit  to  this  country. 


114  Memories  of  Brown 

Photography  was  introduced  while  I  was  in  college,  and 
our  class  was  the  first  to  have  class  photographs  taken. 
They  show  how  differently  from  the  present  age  men  then 
wore  their  hair.  It  was  cut  square  at  the  ends  about  on 
a  line  with  the  bottom  of  the  ear,  like  what  is  now  called 
the  Dutch  style.  Shingling  the  hair  was  not  common 
until  i860  or  later. 

There  were  but  four  buildings  on  the  college  grounds 
in  1853, —  Rhode  Island  Hall,  University  Hall,  Manning 
Hall,  containing  the  library  and  the  chapel,  and  Hope 
College.  Lawn  mowers  had  not  then  been  invented. 
The  grass  on  the  front  campus  was  allowed  to  grow  until 
haying  time,  and  quite  a  crop  of  hay  was  obtained.  If  it 
was  not  carted  off  on  the  day  on  which  it  was  made, 
mischievous  students  were  likely  to  dispose  of  it  during 
the  night.  On  one  occasion  they  stuffed  a  professor's 
room  with  all  that  it  would  hold.  It  is  to  be  remembered 
that  at  the  date  referred  to  college  was  in  session  well  into 
July.  The  back  campus  was  pasture  ground.  Dr.  Way- 
land  and  Dr.  Caswell  each  kept  a  cow  grazing  there.  One 
of  these  cows  disappeared  for  two  or  three  days,  and  was 
finally  found  shut  up  in  a  room  in  Hope  College  which 
had  happened  to  be  without  an  occupant. 

The  ground  east  of  the  front  line  of  Sayles  Hall  was  used 
by  Dr.  Wayland  as  a  vegetable  garden.  The  first  time 
I  had  occasion  to  interview  him  I  climbed  the  fence,  and  he 
paused  from  his  labors  with  the  hoe  to  attend  to  me,  address- 
ing me  as  "  My  son."  Dr.  Wayland  might  sometimes  be 
seen  towards  evening  smoking  a  pipe  in  his  garden,  which 
extended  back  of  his  house,  along  Prospect  street  to  Water- 
man street.  He  also  "  chewed."  A  mat  lay  in  front  of  the 
platform  in  the  chapel  on  which  he  regularly  spat  before 
going  up  into  the  desk  at  morning  prayers.  Tobacco 
chewing  was  quite  common  among  the  students,  appar- 
ently, often  only  to  assist  in  defiling  the  floor  of  recitation 


Memories  of  Brown 


rooms.  The  majority  of  the  faculty,  however,  preserved 
too  good  disciphne  in  their  rooms  to  permit  this. 

In  University  Hall  above  the  first  story  the  corridors 
ran  the  full  length  of  the  building  with  staircases  at  either 
end,  so  that  if  any  officer  of  discipline  ascended  one  it  was 
easy  for  a  culprit  to  descend  at  the  other  end  and  escape. 
The  upper  story  was  called  Pandemonium  and  not  infre- 
quently deserved  the  name.  Amusement  was  sometimes 
found  in  rolling  paving-stones  the  whole  length  of  the 
corridors  at  midnight  or  later.  On  coming  back  after 
vacation  about  the  year  1855  we  found  the  corridors 
divided  in  the  middle  by  partitions.  This  made  calling 
on  one's  neighbors  inconvenient.  An  occupant  of  a  room 
in  the  top  story  could  not  get  to  a  neighbor's  room  in  the 
other  half  of  it  except  by  descending  three  flights  at  one 
end  and  ascending  three  flights  at  the  other.  The  general 
impression  was  that  these  partitions  would  not  stand  very 
long,  but  it  was  found  that  they  were  constructed  of  boiler 
plate,  and  too  firmly  braced  to  give  way  to  ordinary 
violence.  The  only  relief  was  found  for  a  short  time  in 
inviting  men  up  to  sign  "  the  petition  "  for  some  favor  or 
the  abatement  of  some  grievance  ;  but  the  victim  on  reach- 
ing the  upper  floor  was  led  up  to  the  partition  to  inscribe 
his  name. 

Dr.  Wayland  was  the  pioneer  in  the  introduction  of  the 
"  optional  system  "  at  college,  and  I  entered  college  while 
his  system  was  still  on  trial ;  but  with  his  resignation  and 
the  election  of  Dr.  Sears  as  his  successor,  Dr.  Wayland's 
system  was  dropped.  It  provided  that  the  degree  of  A. 
M.,  should  be  given  for  the  old  four  years'  course,  including 
both  Greek  and  Latin,  and  the  degree  of  A.  B.  for  a  three 
years'  course  including  Latin  but  not  Greek.  There  was 
very  little  option  given  us,  however,  none  the  first  two 
years,  when  we  had  nothing  but  Greek,  Latin  and  mathe- 
matics, and  only  a  very  limited  option  the  last  two  years 


116 


Memories  of  Brown 


in  one-third  of  our  studies,  when  we  were  allowed  to 
choose  between  French  and  German.  The  most  con- 
spicuous feature  of  Dr.  Wayland's  system  was  the  ad- 
mission of  special  students  to  any  courses  they  were  quali- 
fied to  take.  Thus  many  of  my  schoolmates  entered 
college  when  I  entered,  but  recited  with  the  junior  or 
senior  classes,  because  almost  the  only  studies  they  could 
take  were  modern  languages,  English  and  history.  Thus 
our  entering  classes  were  very  large  for  that  period,  con- 
siderably above  loo,  but  by  the  next  year  but  few  were 
left.  Dr.  Wayland's  system  also  aimed  to  make  the  re- 
muneration of  the  professors  depend  somewhat  on  their 
making  their  courses  attractive.  Every  professor  had  a 
uniform  salary  of  $i,ooo,  and  in  addition  six  dollars  each 
half-year  for  every  student  in  his  classes.  This  system, 
however,  prevailed  but  a  short  time. 

Edward  H.  Cutler,  18^7. 


Mem 


'I  ones 


o/B 


rown 


17 


The  Faculty  in  the  Fifties 


A  T  the  time  of  matriculation   Dr.  Wayland  used  to 
/-A      sit  in  his  office  looking  much  like  a  lion  in  his  den. 
^    -^   Ushered  into  his  presence,  the  trembling  fresh- 
man was  ready  to  obey  unquestioningly  his  slight- 
est  behest.      So   when   the   matriculation   register    was 

placed  before  the  young 
fellow,  and  the  presi- 
dent, looking  out  from 
under  his  shaggy  brow, 
bade  him  sign  it,  he 
thought  of  nothing  but 
instantaneous  acquies- 
cence. Then  came  the 
catastrophe,  the  old 
lion  thundering  out, 
"  Stop,  sir.  Read  what 
you  are  going  to  sign. 
How  do  you  know  that 
it  is  not  a  note  of 
hand?" 

A  MUCH  honored  pro- 
fessor, then   a  very 
young  man,  had  lately 
1837  returned  from    a  resi- 

dence of  a  year  or  two 
at  Athens,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  discoursing  most  edify- 
ingly  upon  the  results  of  his  observations  in  the  ancient 


Professor  Samuel  S.  Greene, 
(Taken  about  1857) 


18  Memories  of  Brown 


land  surrounding  the  little  capital.  It  was  one  of  the  well 
recognized  resorts  of  the  mischievous  boys  of  his  class, 
when  they  preceived  that  a  call  to  recite  might  lead  to  a 
particularly  disastrous  display  of  their  delinquencies,  to 
inquire  the  result  of  his  researches  into  "  the  peculiarities 

of  the  Greek  mind," 
assured  that  the  bell 
before  the  next  recita- 
tion hour  would  strike 
before  their  thirst  for 
information  had  been 
fully  gratified. 

Two  professors  were 
accustomed  to  illustrate 
their  lectures  by  ex- 
periments of  a  more  or 
less  sensational  char- 
acter. Of  these,  one 
was  apt  to  announce, 
"  Now  gentlemen,  you 
will  see  such  and  such 
surprising  phenom- 
ena,"    half     the     time 

Professor  Robinson  P.  Dunn,  1843  blank     disappointment 

(Taken  about  1857)  r    ii         •     „         t-i  ,i 

toUowmg.  i  he  other 
was  wont,  almost  as  uniformly,  to  preface  the  experiment 
with  the  remark,  "What  we  now  ought  to  see,  and  what  we 
may  see,  although  scientific  experiments  are  proverbially 
treacherous,  is  so  and  so,"  failure  never  being  known  to 
crown  the  cautious  instructor's  efforts. 

Professor  Lincoln  was  exceedingly  well  liked  by  the  stu- 
dents of  his  day,  and  familiarly,  as  well  as  affectionately, 
called  by  them  "  Link,"  a  fact  with  which  he  was  perfectly 


M, 


em  ones 


ofB 


rown 


119 


well  acquainted.     On  one  occasion,  a  student  translating 

a  passage  concerning  Cicero  rendered  it  exactly  as  it  was 

written,  "  M.  Tul.  Cicero." 

"  M.  Tul.—  M.  Tul,"  exclaimed  the  professor,  "  Why  not 

give  the  gentleman  his  full  name?     How  do  you  suppose 

I  would  enjoy  being 
spoken  of  as  Link}  " 

One  of  the  older  pro- 
fessors had  a  stock  of 
stories  which  had  been 
related  for  the  benefit 
of  so  many  generations 
of  students  that  they 
had  acquired  a  sort  of 
traditional  reputation. 
He  would  relate  a  tale 
of  a  non-musical  per- 
sonage who  was  accus- 
tomed to  declare  that  he 
was  able  to  recognize 
only  two  tunes,  of 
which  "  one  was  Old 
Hundred  and  the  other 
wasn't." 

Again  he  would  tell 
the  story  of  a  high-road,  which  became  a  by-way  and 
farther  dwindled  into  a  cart-track,  finally  running  into  a 
foot-path  through  a  wood,  and  ending  as  "  a  squirrel  track 
running  up  a  tree."  Prompted  by  the  upperclass  men, 
the  "  freshies  "  used  to  be  ready  in  each  case  for  the  enthusi- 
astic narrator,  breaking  out  into  the  most  uproarious  ap- 
plause, just  before  he  reached  the  point  of  his  tale. 


Professor  Nathaniel  P.  Hill,  1856 
(Taken  about  1859) 


It  became  the  custom,  at  one  period,  for  the  students  to 


20 


Mi 


emories 


ofB 


rown 


inhale  the  then  freshly-known  nitrous-oxide  or  laughing- 
gas  and  watch  the  queer  antics  which  resulted.  There 
was  a  little  fellow  who  had  been  much  brow-beaten  and 
"  put  upon  "  by  one  of  the  bigger  men,  a  bit  inclined  to  be 
a  bully.  The  youngster  evinced  a  great  desire  to  breathe 
the  strange  mixture,  proceeding  without  a  moment  s  de- 
lay, under  the  protection  of  his  temporary  irresponsibility, 
to  give  his  adversary,  taken  entirely  by  surprise,  the 
biggest  drubbing  of  his  life.  The  gayety  of  the  occasion 
was  not  diminished  when  it  came  to  be  known  that  mis- 
chievous fellow  students  had  inflated  the  gas  bag  with 
nothing  but  pure  common  air. 

Anonymous,  iS^y. 


Memories  of  Brow ?i  I21 


More  About  the  Faculty  in  the  F'ifties 


THE  transition  from  Wayland  to  Sears  marked  a 
great  step  in  the  modernizing  of  old  Brown. 
What  first  impressed  me  about  Dr.  Sears  was 
his  collection  of  German  books  and  the  new  con- 
ception which  he  brought  of  scholarship.  In  his  daily 
walk  and  conversation  he  had  an  air  of  refinement  that 
gave  evidence  of  a  travelled  mind.  Being  sometimes  in 
his  house  and  seeing  his  foreign  books,  I  felt  myself  in 
some  measure  kept  in  countenance  by  his  example,  as  I 
was  already  reading  German  when  I  entered  college,  and 
had  enthusiasms  unshared  by  any  of  my  mates  and  even 
looked  upon  askance  by  my  pastor. 

Of  the  matter  of  Dr.  Sears's  teaching,  I  have  never  been 
able  to  detect  in  my  mental  equipment  a  trace.  It  seems 
to  me  he  must  have  been  singularly  destitute  of  the 
quality  we  name  personal  magnetism.  He  never  put  me 
up  to  studying  or  reading  anything,  yet  I  revere  his  mem- 
ory. I  remember  the  contempt  and  indignation  I  felt  for 
fellows  who  took  advantage  of  his  lack  of  schoolmasterly 
strenuousness  and  spoiled  his  precious  lecture  hours  with 
base  turbulence.  He  was  a  man  of  fine  grain,  but  seems 
to  have  gone  through  his  lecture  functions  without  taking 
sufficient  note  of  the  mental  attitude  of  his  youthful 
hearers. 

The  men  in  Dr.  Sears's  faculty  all  had  my  unqualified 
respect,  and  some  of  them  had  my  love. 

Of  Caswell,  whom  the  catalogue  taught  us  to  honor  as 
"  regent,"  I   think  every  student  must  have  brought  away 


22 


Memories  of  Brown 


tender  memories.  In  the  tempering  of  his  character  the 
ingredient  of  sarcasm,  so  apt  to  be  large  in  the  pedagogic 
make-up,  was  wholly  left  out.  He  supplied  its  lack  with 
urbanity,  patience,  geniality.  The  maxim  we  are  all  re- 
duced at  last  to  accept, —  Alan  kanii  sick  seine  Juiigen  iiic/U 

Z2i  diiinni  den  ken, — 
if  he  ever  did  acknowl- 
edge its  validity,  he 
surely  never  acted 
upon  it.  He  never  hurt 
a  fellow's  self-respect. 
Of  the  smart  modern 
pedagogy,  acrid,  mor- 
dant, critical,  exacting, 
he  had  nothing.  Men 
of  his  considerate 
type,  of  his  goodness, 
of  his  simplicity,  should 
never  cease  to  exist  in 
college  faculties. 

Most  of  all  I  loved 
Professor  Dunn, 
though  he  made  me 
commit  to  memory 
Campbell's  and 
Whately's  rhetorics. 
For  my  intercourse  with  Dunn  I  feel  I  am  somewhat  dif- 
ferent from  what  I  should  have  been  without  that  in- 
fluence. He  gave  me  suggestions,  promptings;  he  was 
affable,  kindly,  cultivated  in  manner,  easy  and  fluent  of 
speech,  a  genuine  example  of  good  rhetoric,  himself  more 
potent  as  a  lesson  than  the  books  we  repeated  to  him 
verbatim. 

Next  I  put  Gammell.     In   GammelTs  classes  also  we 
committed  things  to  memory.     Here  it  was   Hallam  and 


Professor  Alexis  Caswell,  1822 
(Taken  about  1857) 


M, 


emories  o 


ofB 


rown 


23 


Guizot.  But  Gammell  was  a  great  talker,  and  was  venture- 
some. It  was  his  business  to  ruffle  the  waters  rather  than 
to  spread  oil  upon  them.  We  asked  him  questions.  In 
the  interchange  of  speech  many  dormant  ideas  were 
aw^akened.     I  came  to  feel  a  certain  stimulus  from  Gam- 

mell's  discoursive  com- 
menting, and  came 
from  his  classes  stirred 
and  thinking. 

Chace  was  still  teach- 
ing the  doctrine  of  the 
three  imponderable 
forms  of  matter,  lectur- 
ing slowly  enough  for 
me  to  take  it  all  down. 
To  Chace  I  felt  a  warm 
attachment.  He  once 
wrote  an  article  on  the 
Persistence  of  Physical 
Law,  and  was  reputed 
to  have  thereby  hurt 
his  prospects.  This,  of 
course,  belonged  to  the 
esoteric  concerns  of  the 
corporation,  but  it 
was  talked  about  in  the 
community,  and  was  an  influence  determining  the  way  of 
thinking  of  the  student  body. 

Lincoln  made  the  impression  of  perfect  competency  as 
a  Latin  scholar  and  as  a  disciplinarian.  In  his  teaching 
he  followed  the  old  way,  the  way  of  the  preparatory  school, 
—  small  daily  tasks  in  three  or  four  books.  I  never  heard 
of  a  scniiiiariinn  or  of  Latin  as  being  used  for  practical 
purposes.  All  this  is  of  later  date.  I  believe  Lincoln 
would  have  been  great  in  a  scniiiiariiini.     But  the  ubiqui- 


Professor  John  L.  Lincoln, 
(Taken  about  1852) 


1836 


1 24  Memories  of  Brown 

tons  "  pony "    has    emasculated    all    language    teaching. 

Harkness  and  Angell  complete,  I  believe,  the  list  of  the 
men  who  were  my  teachers  at  Brown. 

The  best  thing  about  my  college  course  was  that  it  was 
not  oppressive  and  exacting,  and  left  me  time  to  browse 
in  the  department  of  Reuben  A.  Guild,  Dr.  Guild's  ad- 
ministration of  the  library  was  perfect,  and  I  was  always 
pleased  to  see,  in  my  visits  in  later  years,  that  he  still  kept 
up  the  same  system.  I  mean  to  say  that  I  am  infinitely 
thankful  for  the  freedom  of  access  to  the  books  which  Dr. 
Guild  might  have  denied  me  but  did  not.  A  college 
library  should  not  be  stacked,  though  some  portions  of 
very  large  ones  may  have  to  be.  The  same  privilege,  of 
unrestrained  access  to  the  books,  I  enjoyed  at  the  Athen- 
aeum from  my  fourteenth  year,  or  earlier.  This  grand 
library  privilege  was  worth  to  me  fully  as  much  as  all 
school  and  college  beside.  Dr.  Guild  was  not  to  me  guide, 
philosopher  and  friend ;  he  simply  said  nothing,  but  kept 
on  with  his  writing,  when  I  went  into  his  alcoves.  Hence 
it  is  that  no  one  has  ever  been  able  to  fool  me  with  ac- 
counts of  the  horrors  of  desultory  reading,  and  hence  I 
am  wont  to  scout  the  maxim,  jioji  nnilta  scd  nuiltiiui  and 
to  prefer  et  nmlta  et  vniltiim.  There  is  nothing  occult  or 
mysterious  about  a  library.  An  educated  man  must  have 
ranged  largely  in  such  fields. 

Samuel  Thurber,  iS^S. 


Memories  oj  Brown  125 


Junior  Burials,   1853-59 


ONE  of  the  long-expected  outbursts  of  enthusiasm 
in  the  fifties  was  the  junior  burial.  This  was  an 
annual  occurrence  as  regular  in  its  return  as  class- 
day  or  commencement,  and  an  event  of  such 
general  interest  that  nearly  the  whole  college,  except  per- 
haps the  "  grave  and  reverend  seniors,"  turned  out  to 
participate  in  the  solemn  funeral  ceremonies.  How  far 
back  in  the  history  of  the  university  this  custom  originated 
I  have  no  definite  information.  After  mature  reflection, 
I  think  it  must  have  existed  for  several  years  prior  to  1853. 
The  burial  of  Euclid  at  Yale  existed  from  an  early  period, 
but  the  difficult  problems  of  Euclid  made  it  a  peculiarly 
obnoxious  study  to  the  average  student.  Hence  I  cannot 
avoid  the  conclusion  that  the  junior  burial  must  have 
originated  before  Professor  Dunn  had  been  appointed  to 
the  chair  of  rhetoric  and  English  literature,  since  a  more 
kindhearted  and  popular  instructor  was  not  known  in  our 
day.  The  books  which  were  used  as  text-books  in  his 
course  were  not  difficult  to  comprehend,  and  the  course 
in  general  was  instructive,  useful  and  practical,  and  why 
these  books  were  selected  for  the  solemn  ceremony  of 
burial  appears  incomprehensible  to  any  one  who  enjoyed 
the  instruction  of  this  most  genial  professor. 

Burial  programmes  of  the  seven  years  1853-59  show  a 
similar  order  of  exercises  in  each,  the  best  talent  of  the 
class  being  usually  selected  for  the  different  parts.  The 
following  extract  from  a  Providence  paper  of  July  7,  1857, 
gives  a  brief  account  of  the  burial  of  that  year: 


126  Memories  of  Brown 

"  The  annual  college  show  of  the  burial  of  Whately  by  the  junior 
class  came  off  last  evening,  and  Campbell  and  Spaulding  were  in- 
cluded in  the  sepulchral  honors.  The  procession  formed  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Hope  and  Waterman  streets  and,  preceded  by  the  brass  band, 
and  burning  torches,  and  banners  with  devices  and  inscriptions, 
marched  through  the  principal  streets  on  both  sides  of  the  river.  The 
young  men  were  dressed  in  every  variety  of  mock  mourning  costume, 
and  some  of  them  rivalled  the  "  Antiques  and  Horribles  "  of  the 
Fourth.  The  works  of  the  devoted  and  finished  authors  were  placed 
upon  a  car  drawn  by  white  horses,  and  supported  on  each  side  by 
comically  solemn  pall-bearers. 

"  At  Ferry  wharf  they  embarked  in  boats,  and  at  a  suitable  position 
the  funeral  ceremonies  were  performed,  and  the  text-books  were  com- 
mitted to  the  deep.  The  procession  was  marshalled  by  Robert  H.  I. 
Goddard,  assisted  by  Joseph  H.  Patten,  William  H.  Kneass,  Moses 
Lyman,  Jr.,  James  F.  Decamp,  Charles  P.  Williams  and  Robert 
Millar.  The  ceremonies  consisted  of  music,  a  funeral  ode  by  A.  H. 
Nelson,  an  oration  on  Campbell  by  Solon  W.  Stevens,  a  poem  by 
Arnold  Green,  an  oration  on  Whately  by  L.  C.  Manchester,  an  oration 
on  Spaulding  by  Charles  L.  Colby,  and  a  Latin  burial  service  by  J. 
Henry  Gilmore.  The  affair  was  comical,  without  being  indecorous, 
and  the  procession  was  witnessed  by  great  numbers  of  people  along 
the  entire  route." 

According  to  my  further  recollection  the  boats  were 
large  batteaux  which  were  rowed  by  boatmen  to  a  buoy 
some  two  or  three  miles  down  the  bay,  not  far  from  Field's 
Point,  at  which  place  the  services  were  held  at  about  1 1  P. 
M.  The  procession  started  from  the  college  about  nine  and 
arrived  back  at  the  college  about  one  or  two  in  the  morn- 
ing, going  up  Waterman  street  and  halting  in  front  of 
Professor  Dunn's.  Professor  Dunn  kindly  put  his  head 
out  of  the  window  and  bade  us  "  good-night."  The  boys 
gave  him  three  rousing  cheers,  and  the  band  played 
"  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  as  we  were  to  return  home  the 
next  day. 

The  books  contributed  by  the  class  were  put  into  a  box 


■>. 

li»ftlAli 

OF 

'iBjuteij,  Cflmpliell  anil  l|ialii%  - 

'.    '  ■> :  t 

BY  THE 

JUNIOR  CLASS  .OF  BROWN  UNIVERSITY, 

RICHABD  OLNEY,         -        -        -         Chief  Marshal. 

ASSISTANT  MARSHALS: 
WiLUAM  B.  ChOOKEK,                                    J,   E.   ToTTBTELLOTTB, 

Chaslbs  Blake,                                 M.  H.  Mobbmok, 
N1CH01.AS  B.  BoLLKS,                           M.  B.  jB«rKijf8. 

Ei^-ihe  Torch  Light  Procesaon  will  foim.  «ttl^ comer  of  Hope  and 
Watarxoan  streete.  at  8i  oNdock,  P.  M. 

BBB^iK                                                4 

1 28  Memories  of  Brown 

or  coffin  and  weighted  with  bricks  sufficient  to  sink  it. 
Several  holes  were  bored  in  the  box  to  let  the  air  out,  and 
on  one  occasion  an  enthusiastic  junior  leaped  out  of  the 
boat  and  sat  astride  the  box  until  it  began  to  fill  and  sink, 
the  boring  of  the  holes  having  been  omitted. 

The  following  extracts  are  taken  from  the  programmes 
of  different  years.  In  that  of  1853  the  ode  written  by 
James  DeMille  began  as  follows.  It  was  sung  to  the  tune 
of  "Auld  Lang  Syne:" 

"  Ye  whimpering  coves  assembled  here 
Upon  a  solemn  bust, 
Oh !  drop  the  bitter,  burning  tear 
O'er  Richard  VVhately's  dust. 

Chorus:  —  O'er  Richard  Whately's  dust,  my  coves,  etc." 

The  chief  marshal  was  Duncan  Smith,  and  the  com- 
mittee of  arrangements  was  G.  P.  Upton,  Duncan  Smith 
and  John  Vernon. 

In  the  programme  for  1854  the  names  of  the  participants 
are  not  published.  The  following  is  the  first  verse  of  the 
ode,  to  the  melody  of  "  Massa  s  in  de  cold,  cold  ground :" 

"O'er  the  wave  the  breeze  is  bringing 

The  junior's  mournful  song  ; 
Whilst  the  dirges  we  are  singing. 

Of  Richard  Whately,  dead  and  gone. 
Where  the  golden  moonlight  streaming 

Gilds  the  glassy  wave, 
There  our  torches  brightly  gleaming 

Shine  upon  his  cold,  cold  grave. 

Chorus  : —  Hark  !  across  the  river 

Comes  the  mournful  lay ; 
Richard  Whately's  dead  and  sleeping. 
Sleeping  in  the  cold,  cold  bay." 


Memories  oj  Brown  129 

In  the  programme  of  1855  appears  the  noted  name  of 
Richard  Ohiey  as  chief  marshal.  The  exercises  were  an 
oration  on  Campbell  by  N.  G.  Bonney,  a  poem  by  Francis 
Wayland  White,  an  oration  on  Whately  by  George  L. 
Stedman  and  an  oration  on  Spaulding  by  Charles  B.  Goff. 

The  ode  written  by  Charles  Turner  to  the  tune  of 
"  Nelly  was  a  Lady,"  began  as  follows : — 

"  Down  on  the  Narragansett  floating 
Now  mournful  are  the  juniors  all ; 
The  bones  of  Richard  Whately  toting 
Beneath  their  dark  funereal  pall. 

Gone  is  Dick  Whately, 

Thrice  has  he  died  ; 
Down  below,  in  realms  of  woe. 

His  soul  is  quantified." 

In  the  next  year  (1856)  Daniel  B.  Pond  was  chief 
marshal.  The  oration  on  Campbell  was  given  by  W.  W. 
Corbett,  the  one  on  Whately  by  Alexander  T.  Britton, 
the  one  on  Spaulding  by  John  Hay,*  and  the  poem  by 
Charles  H.  Forsyth.  The  Latin  burial  service  was  pro- 
nounced by  John  B.  Brackett.  The  ode  was  written  by 
George  W.  Carr  to  the  tune  of  "  Benny  Havens,  Oh  !  "  and 
began  as  follows  : — 

"  From  classic  halls  Brunonian, 
Lugubrious  juniors  pour 
To  dump  Dick  Whately  and  his  friends 
Upon  the  Stygian  shore  ; 


*  Note.  Hay  was  a  graduate  of  i  S58,  but  entering  in  advance  was  reckoned 
with  the  juniors  of  that  year  in  rhetoric,  and  hence  appears  in  this  programme. 
It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  distinguished  secretary  of  state  will  contribute  a 
copy  of  his  oration  on  Spaulding  to  the  archives  of  the  university. —  S.  W.  A. 
(Unfortunately  Mr.  Hay's  oration  must  now  remain  unrecorded. —  Editors.) 


iirial 


OF 


WHATELY  AND  CAMPBELL 

B-Sr    THE    OLASS    OF 

'60. 

proton  Eniteitj, 

.H  lA'  I,  1859. 


GEORGE  WATSON  HALL,  Chief  Marshal 

JOHN'    WHIIM'.I.K.    Jit.,  FREDERICK    A.    MITCHEL, 

JAMES   U'W.   PKi:i;V,  .in.,  BEN"J.    V.    I'ABOllIE, 

WILLIAM    .S.    SMITH,  GEO.    W.    KETCHAM. 


The  Torcli-L,iKl>t  Procession  will  form  at  the  emmet  •£ 
H«pr  and  Vfatorinan  Sts,  at  84  o'clock,  P.  K. 


BB 


Memories  of  Brown  ^3> 

To  pay  the  debt  of  gratitude 

Which  we  so  long  have  owed 
For  equivocal  assistance, 

In  the  analytic  code. 

Chorus  : — Then  mourn  for  Richard  Whately, 
For  Richard  Whately,  oh  ! 
May  the  Narragansett  gently  roll 
O'er  Richard  Whately,  oh  ! 

In  this  year  and  the  following  the  exercises  were  varied 
by  the  addition  of  an  address  to  the  sophomores  which 
was  given  in  1856  by  Samuel  C.  Eastman. 

I  have  already  quoted  a  newspaper  item  describing  the 
burial  of  1857.  In  1858  Charles  M.  Smith  acted  as  chief 
marshal.  The  orations  were  pronounced  by  David  H. 
Montgomery,  Elnathan  Judson  and  J.T.  Plumer,  the  poem 
by  Richard  Waterman,  the  Latin  burial  service  by  T.  W. 
Bancroft,  and  the  address  to  the  sophomores  by  David 
Weston.  William  D.  King  wrote  the  funeral  ode,  which 
began  as  follows  :     Tune,  "  Auld  Lang  Syne." 

"  Come  mournful  class  of  '59, 
Come  gather  round  this  bier, 
While  for  the  cause  we  put  the  sign, 
And  drop  the  bitter  tear. 

Chorus  : — And  drop  the  bitter  tear,  my  boys,  etc." 

In  1859  G.  W.  Hall  acted  as  chief  marshal  and  H.  K. 
Porter  and  P.  S.  Jastram  gave  the  orations,  J.  G.  Chap- 
man the  poem,  G.  S.  Abbott  the  Latin  burial  service  and 
H.  M.  Rice  the  address  to  the  sophomores.  The  name  of 
the  author  of  the  funeral  ode  is  not  stated.  The  follow- 
ing is  the  last  verse  :     Tune,  "  Benny  Havens,  Oh  ! " 


32  Memories  of  Brown 

''  What  though  from  'neath  the  ocean's  bed  these  syUogistic  bores 
Should  rise  in  turn,  the  bane  and  curse  of  vaHant  sophomores  ? 
We  juniors  now  can  swell  the  song,  '  Our  labors  all  are  o'er,' 
And  louder  yet  we'll  raise  the  shout,  farewell  forevermore. 

Chorus  : — Farewell  forevermore,  etc." 


The  writer  has  no  information  as  to  any  later  ceremonies 
of  this  kind.  A  peculiar  feature  of  these  burials  consisted 
in  the  banners  or  transparencies  which  were  made  from 
time  to  time  to  illustrate  the  persons  and  scenes  described 
in  the  studies  of  the  year.  One  of  these,  said  to  have  been 
made  by  the  noted  artist  Waterman,  represented  the 
supreme  Can(n)on  of  the  New  Analytic,  another  the 
Novum  Organon  of  Sir  Francis  Bacon  (a  pig  grinding  a 
hand  organ).  *  Another,  entitled  the  J unior'sVision,  repre- 
sented a  junior  sleeping  soundly  in  bed,  a  pony  sitting 
upon  his  stomach,  glaring  at  him,  a  procession  of  noted 
worthies.  Venerable  Bede,  Spenser,  Beaumont  and 
Fletcher,  and  a  host  of  others  emerging  from  Hades, 
while  the  radiant  face  of  an  angel  hovered  over  the  bed 
representing  the  genial  professor  of  rhetoric,  etc.  These 
were  carefully  preserved  and  handed  down  as  legacies 
from  class  to  class. 

Among  the  noted  names  upon  these  programmes  are 
those  of  several  men  who  afterwards  filled  important  public 
positions, — two  United  States  secretaries  of  state,  doctors 
of  divinity,  judges  and  prominent  physicians  and  instruct- 
ors. 

^.  W.  Abbott,  185S. 


(*  This  for  years  was  in   the  possession  of   Upsilon  Chapter  of  D.  K.   E. 
Editors.) 


Memories  of  Brown  1 33 

The  College  Water  Supply 
in  the  Fifties 


IN  the  ante-bellum  period  (1850-60)  no  public  water 
supply  furnishing  water  through  a  system  of  pipes 
was  known  or  even  dreamed  of  upon  the  top  of  Col- 
lege Hill.  The  method  of  supplying  water  for  the  use 
of  the  students  was  as  crude  as  that  of  many  houses  in  the 
remotest  backwoods  of  to-day.  The  supply  consisted  of 
two  ordinary  stoned  wells,  each  of  which  was  covered 
with  a  wooden  framework  containing  a  windlass  or  wheel, 
from  which  a  large  stone  was  suspended,  capable  of 
balancing  an  "  old  oaken  bucket."  From  these  wells  we 
tugged  our  daily  water  supply  in  wooden  pails  up  one, 
two  or  three  flights  of  stairs  to  our  rooms  in  Hope  Col- 
lege or  University  Hall.  Such  luxuries  as  bath  tubs  and 
other  modern  plumbing  facilities  were  unknown  within 
the  precincts  of  the  college. 

These  two  wells  were  located,  one  opposite  the  easterly 
side  of  Hope  College  and  the  other  near  the  southeast 
corner  of  University  Hall.  The  surroundings  of  the  latter 
were  not  of  the  most  sanitary  character,  and  nothing  but 
the  fact  that  the  underground  currents  of  water  in  that 
neighborhood  ran  from  north  to  south  prevented  the 
occurrence  of  frequent  epidemics  of  illness  among  the 
inmates  of  University  Hall.  The  quality  of  the  water  of 
such  wells  at  the  present  day  would  be  regarded  as  open 
to  question,  but  the  chemical  examination  of  water  was 
then  scarcely  ever  considered  as  a  matter  of  importance. 


134 


Mi 


em  ones 


o/B^ 


rown 


It  was  the  custom  of  Mr.  Elliott,  the  registrar  (often 
called  "  Pluto"  for  short,  for  some  unknown  euphemistic 
reason  or  other),  to  mow  the  grass  upon  the  east  campus 
in  June,  and  make  it  into  hay.  Upon  a  certain  night  in 
June,  1856,  toward  the  close  of  our  sophomore  year,  this 
hay  disappeared,  or  at  least  a  large  part  of  it,  and  the 
Hope  College  well  curb  was  found  upset  at  some  distance 
from  the  well.  The  well  itself  was  stuffed  full  of  haycocks, 
and  Mr.  Elliott's  services  were  in  demand  to  remove  the 
damaged  fodder.  For  a  time  the  water  strongly  resembled 
herb  tea,  but  it  soon  resumed  its  wonted  purity. 

I  have  in  my  possession  a  note  from  President  Sears, 
requesting  me  to  call  at  his  office  the  day  after  this  oc- 
currence, which  I  very  gladly  did,  since  I  was  enabled, 
like  Sam  Weller,  to  prove  an  "  alibi,"  for  I  spent  that  night 
with  one  of  my  classmates  outside  the  college  walls. 

S.  W.  Abbott.  1S3S. 


Memories  of  Brown  1 35 


John  Hay  as  a  Parodist  of  Emerson 


I 


N  1857  Emerson  contributed  to  the  Atlantic  Monthly 
some  lines  entitled  "  Brahma,"  which  began  as  fol- 
lows : 

"  If  the  red  slayer  think  he  slays, 
Or  if  the  slain  think  he  is  slain, 
They  know  not  well  the  subtle  ways 
I  keep,  and  pass,  and  turn  again." 


The  first  number  of  the  Atlantic  containing  these  lines 
arrived  at  Brown  University  in  the  fall  of  1857,  and  spec- 
ulation was  rife  among  the  students  as  to  the  meaning  of 
Emerson's  stanzas.  Some  students  of  "  the  baser  sort " 
even  suggested  that  Emerson  had  in  mind  the  festive 
game  of  euchre. 

Whatever  may  be  said,  however,  as  to  the  difficulty  of 
interpreting  these  lines,  no  college  student  can  have  any 
difficulty  in  understanding  the  meaning  of  the  following 
words  by  John  Hay,  which  were  published  in  November 
of  that  year  in  the  annual  publication  known  as  the 
"  Brown  Paper :" 

"  Sa  !  Sa  !  " 

If  the  hazed  freshman  thinks  he's  hazed, 
And  that  he's  passed  his  hazing  pain  ; 

He's  sold  —  too  high  his  hopes  are  raised. 
The  soph'mcre  goes  but  comes  again. 


136 


Memories  of  Brown 


Far  or  forgot  to  them  is  near, 

First  or  fourth  story  is  the  same  ; 

The  vengeful  sophs  to  him  appear, 

And  funk  destroys  his  sense  of  shame. 

In  vain  he  tries  to  shut  them  out, 
He  tries  to  fly,  but  has  no  wings  ; 

Freshmen  are  weak,  and  sophs  are  stout, 
The  vanquished  freshman  yields  and  sings. 

The  soph'mores  leave  his  dim  abode, 
He  ventilates  till  half-past  'leven  ; 

Freshman,  this  haze  is  for  thy  good, 
This  year  is  hell,  the  next  is  heaven. 


S.  W.  Abbott,  1858. 


The  AiHENytuM 
Where  generations  of  Brown  Men  have  read  and  studied 


Memories  of  Br ow?i  '37 


A  "  Smoking-Out "  in  1856 


IT  was  a  night  in  September  of  1856,  and  all  through 
the  upper  stories  of  University  Hall  many  creatures 
were  stirring,  some  quaintly  or  hideously  costumed 
and  disguised;  others,  like  the  writer,  being  present 
only  as  what  are  called  nowadays  "  rooters,"  in  the  per- 
formance about  to  take  place. 

Samuel  Duncan  and  his  roommate,  Adoniram  J.  Gor- 
don, then  only  promising  freshmen,  but  destined  to  be- 
come distinguished  preachers  in  the  Baptist  Church,  were 
the  victims  selected  for  the  sophomoric  visitation. 

"  In  the  dead  waist  and  middle  of  the  night  "  a  resound- 
ing rap  upon  their  door  was  the  first  intimation  they  re- 
ceived of  the  honor  about  to  be  conferred  upon  them. 
For  a  time  a  parley  was  carried  on  between  the  inmates 
and  the  outmates  of  room  number  27,  but  a  forcible  entry 
being  threatened  the  unseasonable  callers  were  very  re- 
luctantly admitted,  finding  their  hosts  not  in  costume  de 
rigueur,  but  in  plain  robes  de  nuit. 

Each  of  the  distinguished  visitors,  some  six  in  all,  had 
a  small  flower-pot,  in  the  bottom  of  which  were  live  coals, 
and  on  top  of  them,  and  filling  each  pot,  were  scrapings 
from  the  fioor  of  some  Providence  cigar  factory. 

Stretching  themselves  upon  the  floor,  in  positions  that 
outlined  the  spokes  of  a  wheel,  with  the  flower-pot  pipes  — 
a  long  reed  stem  inserted  near  the  bottom  of  each  — 
grouped  in  the  centre  like  a  hub,  they  proceeded  to  blow 
up  into  the  room  clouds  of  odoriferous  and  nauseating 
smoke  that  soon  told  upon  the  stomachs  of  the  embryo 


1 38  Memories  of  Brown 

preachers.  The  only  pure  air  in  the  room  was  the  stratum 
next  to  the  floor  where  the  smokers  lay. 

Ernest  B.  Gordon,  in  his  biography  of  his  father,  writes 
thus  of  that  scene :  "  Gordon  when  a  freshman  of  but 
two  weeks'  standing  was  visited  in  his  room,  '  smoked  out ' 
and  imperiously  ordered  by  his  visitors  to  mount  the 
table  and  preach  a  sermon.  The  newcomer's  resources 
in  that  line  had  not  been  suspected.  With  admirable 
appropriateness  he  chose  as  his  text,  '  A  certain  man  went 
down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  and  fell  among  thieves.' 

"  Never  was  a  more  pointed  discourse  delivered.  The 
listeners  taking  umbrage  rushed  like  the  wild  beasts  at 
Ephesus  upon  the  preacher,  upset  the  table  upon  which 
he  stood,  and  would  have  treated  him  badly  indeed,  if  his 
Christianity  had  not  passed  forthwith  from  the  didactic  to 
the  muscular  phase  and  with  excellent  results.  He  sprang 
at  the  ring-leader,  tore  his  coat  in  halves,  and  with  the  ef- 
ficient co-operation  of  John  Hay,  who  just  then  appeared 
upon  the  scene,  routed  the  intruders  from  the  premises." 

If  the  intruders  were  indeed  routed  from  the  premises, 
they  carried  the  "  rooters  "  with  them,  for  I  bear  a  large 
and  distinctly  visible  scar  upon  my  right  knee-cap,  lifelong 
evidence  of  what  occurred  after  the  smokers,  with  their 
victims,  emerged  from  room  27,  U.  H. 

Duncan,  mounted  on  a  chair  in  the  centre  of  a  group 
of  applauding  sophomores  and  collaborating  juniors  like 
Hay  and  myself,  had  just  referred  to  "  that  monumental 
work  of  Daniel  Webster,  his  great  dictionary,"  when  the 
group  of  juniors  who  were  sitting  in  the  deep  window- 
seat  at  the  end  of  the  hall  vociferously  shouting,  "  Here's 
to  good  old  Brown,  Drink  her  down,"  were  amazed  at  see- 
ing the  orator,  his  nightshirt  waving  in  the  breeze,  tumble 
headlong  among  his  audience,  that  was  seen  to  be  scatter- 
ing in  every  direction.  The  cause  of  this  sudden  stam- 
pede was  disclosed  as  the  crowd  thinned  out.    Mr.  Elliott, 


Memories  of  Brown  1 39 

the  then  registrar  of  Brown,  but  whom  we  knew  only  as 
"  Pkito  "  or  "  Piute,"  had  made  his  way,  with  a  lantern 
concealed  under  a  long  coat,  into  the  crowd  gathered 
about  Duncan's  pulpit,  and  there  he  had  suddenly  held 
up  his  lantern  in  the  speaker's  face. 

With  alacrity  I  girded  up  my  loins  and  joined  the 
hegira;  but  in  the  dark,  stumbling  over  a  sophomore  who 
had  fallen  at  the  top  of  the  stairs,  I  soon  reached  the 
second  story  by  a  series  of  involuntary  somersaults.  In 
my  rapid  descent  I  received  other  injuries  besides  the 
one  above  mentioned.  My  trousers  and  coat  were  badly 
torn,  and  I  lost  a  cane,  a  hat  and  a  handkerchief,  each 
having  my  name  on  it. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  chance  for  me  to  prove  an  alibi 
when  President  Barnas  Sears  should  summon  the  sus- 
pected participants  in  that  "  smoking-out  "  into  his  pres- 
ence. 

In  the  end,  however,  no  one  was  made  to  feel  the  weight 
of  the  faculty's  displeasure  for  that  night's  uproar,  and 
from  the  "infernal  regions" — as  "  Pluto's "  ofifice  was 
called  —  I  afterward  recovered  my  property,  upon  which 
"  not  even  the  smell  of  fire  had  passed." 

One  excessively  scared  sophomore,  in  desperate  eager- 
ness to  avoid  the  clutches  of  "  Piute,"  climbed  out  the 
window  of  a  third-story  room  and  by  the  waterspout  lead- 
ing from  the  roof  to  the  ground  made  his  escape,  minus 
trousers  and  much  cuticle  from  legs  and  hands. 

A.  H.  Nelson.  1S5S. 


140  Memories  of  Brown 


The  Duel. — ^In  Three  Chapters 


Chapter  I 
Why  It  Was 


OME,  now,  this  will  never  do,  gentlemen 
don't   settle   their  disputes   with    their 
>^^  fists,"  I  said,  as  I  jumped 

\v^  between  two  of  my  class- 
^^\  mates,  who,  in  the  room  of 
-^^C"--r?(^  one  of  them  on  that  long-to 
be-remembered  afternoon 
in  March  of  1857,  had  suddenly  begun  to  strike  at  each 
other  with  seemingly  angry  purpose.  The  day  had  been 
an  unusually  fine  one  for  that  time  of  the  year,  and  con- 
sequently Westminster  street — in  those  days  the  fashion- 
able promenade  of  Providence — had  been  thronged  with 
young  men  and  maidens,  among  the  former  the  student 
body  of  Brown  University  having  a  large  representation, 
each  and  all  being  there  with  flirtatious  intent. 

Four  of  the  promenaders  having  sought  a  favorite  ren- 
dezvous of  the  juniors  in  the  room  of  Mr.  Clarence  Bates 
of  Louisville,  Ky.,  the  incidents  of  the  afternoon  were 
being  discussed  with  great  glee  and  much  bantering  as  to 
possible  conquests,  when  suddenly  Mr.  Charles  P.  Wil- 
liams of  New  York  made  some  disparaging  remark  about 
a  certain  young  lady  with  whom  Mr.  Bates  was  evidently 
smitten,  when  the  latter  sprang  from  his  seat,  where  he 


Memories  of  Brown  '  4 1 

was  wrestling  with  his  constant  companion,  a  fiddle,  at- 
tempting to  draw  from  it  the  cheerful  strains  of  "  The  Ar- 
kansas Traveller" — the  only  tune  he  knew  —  and  struck 
at  Mr.  Williams.  The  latter  dodged  the  blow,  and  quickly 
struck  out  in  return,  whereupon  I  sprang  between  them 
with  the  remonstrance  above  quoted.  Mr,  Bates  then 
handed  to  Mr.  Williams  one  of  his  visiting  cards  with  the 
words  "  I  demand  of  you,  sir,  the  satisfaction  of  a  gentle- 
man, and  refer  any  friend  you  may  find  to  serve  you  in 
this  matter  to  my  friend  Nelson  here."  Mr.  Williams  ac- 
cepted the  card,  and  turning  to  Mr.  Harry  W.  Kneass 
of  Philadelphia  asked  that  gentleman  to  act  as  his  friend. 
Mr.  Kneass  readily  consented  and  at  once  withdrew  from 
the  room  with  Mr.  Williams. 

These  four  students  roomed  and  boarded  in  the  same 
house,  and,  although  they  belonged  to  three  different 
Greek-letter  fraternities,  they  were  known  to  be  very  in- 
timate. That  evening  the  loud  tone  of  voice  in  which 
Mr.  Bates  and  Mr.  Nelson  asked  the  head-waiter  in  the 
supper  room  to  seat  them  at  a  table  apart  from  the  other 
two,  with  whom  up  to  that  time  they  had  always  had  seats 
at  the  same  table,  caused  considerable  curiosity  among 
their  fellow  boarders,  and  during  the  following  day  — 
Sunday  —  there  was  much  gossip  afloat  concerning  a 
probable  duel  between  Mr.  Bates  and  Mr.  Williams. 
Sunday  afternoon,  while  the  two  "seconds"  were  in  the 
room  of  the  chronicler  hereof  arranging  the  preliminaries, 
a  knock  at  the  door  was  heard.  As  a  matter  of  due  cau- 
tion Mr.  Kneass  crawled  under  the  bed  while  I  called  out 
in  hospitable  tone,  "Come  in!"  I  was  greatly  surprised 
to  see  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bancroft,  rector  of  one  of  the  Episco- 
pal churches  of  Providence,  to  whom  I  had  listened  that 
very  morning,  answer  my  summons.  He  soon  made 
known  his  errand.  Having  learned  from  his  brother,  then 
a  sophomore,  but  in  after  years  on  the  faculty  of  Brown, 


142  Memories  of  Brown 

that  there  was  a  prospect  of  a  duel  being  fought  by  two 
students  of  Brown,  he  had  called  as  an  alumnus,  jealous 
of  the  reputation  of  his  Alma  Mater,  to  learn  the  truth  of 
the  rumor,  and  if  possible  to  avert  such  a  calamity.  After 
learning  the  facts  as  above  related  he  asked  me  if  I  would 
not  try  to  find  the  principals,  while  he  waited  in  my  room, 
and,  using  his  name  and  telling  them  of  his  earnest  en- 
treaty that  they  forego  their  deadly  purpose,  effect  a  rec- 
onciliation. I  readily  assented,  and  leaving  the  other 
second  under  the  bed,  and  my  caller  seated  by  a  glowing 
grate  fire  —  the  night  before  it  had  turned  cold  very  sud- 
denly and  the  air  was  now  full  of  whirling  snowfiakes  — 
I  went  in  search  of  the  principals.  I  soon  found  them 
and  having  communicated  to  Mr.  Bates  the  rector's  pa- 
cific message,  he  replied,  "  I'll  have  that  fellow's  heart's 
blood  before  I'll  ever  take  his  hand  again."  To  Mr.  Wil- 
liams, whom  I  found  soon  after,  I  gave  the  message  with 
which  I  was  charged  and  the  reply  of  his  antagonist 
thereto,  to  which  he  answered,  "  Mr.  Bates  shall  have  the 
satisfaction  he  has  demanded.  That  is  my  answer  to  the 
minister."  Returning  to  my  own  room  I  made  known  to 
Mr.  Bancroft  the  result  of  my  interviews.  The  clergyman 
expressed  great  sorrow  at  the  vindictive  spirit  shown  by 
the  principals,  and  rising  to  go  he  said,  "  I  suppose  that 
you  know  that  as  soon  as  this  reaches  the  ear  of  the  faculty 
you  will  all  certainly  be  expelled."  After  his  departure 
Mr.  Kneass  emerged  from  his  hiding  place  and  together 
we  discussed  our  plans  as  they  seemed  to  be  affected  by 
this  unexpected  call.  We  decided  that  Mr.  Bancroft 
would  not  be  long  in  telling  the  president  of  Brown  all 
that  he  knew  and  conjectured  regarding  the  duel.  It 
therefore  became  necessary  to  forestall  the  result  of  that 
action  by  having  the  duel  come  off  sooner  than  the  after- 
noon of  the  next  day  —  the  time  that  we  had  fixed  upon 
for  the  meeting  and  that  the  rector  had  been  told.     Hastily 


Memories  ojBrow7i  143 

the  keeper  of  the  livery  stable  just  across  the  street  was 
advised  that  two  horses  and  buggies  must  be  ready  for 
us  at  5 :  30  the  next  morning,  and  when  we  came  from  the 
supper  room  that  night,  each  couple  scowling  angry  de- 
fiance at  the  other,  we  gave  orders  in  rather  loud  tones 
to  be  called  at  5  the  next  morning.  By  that  time  the  im- 
pending duel  was  the  absorbing  topic  of  conversation  in 
that  boarding  house  as  well  as  in  Hope  College  and 
University  Hall,  the  dormitories  of  Brown. 


Chapter  H 
Where  It  Was 

"  My  land,  mother,  just  come  here  and  see  what  is  going 
on  yonder  in  the  woods  ! ''  And  soon  the  farmer's  entire 
family,  wife,  three  children,  hired  girl  and  hired  man  were 
ranged  along  the  fence  back  of  the  barn,  witnesses  of  a  duel 
by  two  students  from  Brown  University.  It  was  a  real 
March  day,  raw,  cold,  blustering  and  snowy,  and  to  those 
spectators  it  seemed  a  most  extraordinary  day  to  be 
chosen  for  a  most  extraordinary  performance. 

Two  buggies,  each  containing  two  young  men,  had 
turned  out  of  the  road  near  the  farmer's  house,  and,  the 
occupants  getting  out,  hitched  the  horses  to  trees  near  by, 
and  then  sought  a  place  in  the  woods  where  there  was  a 
cleared  spot  of  considerable  extent.  There  one  of  the  quar- 
tette was  seen  to  measure  off  fifteen  paces  over  the  snow- 
covered  ground,  and  another  one  of  the  party,  having  di- 
rected the  other  two  to  take  their  places  at  either  end  of 
the  line  thus  marked  off,  handed  to  each  a  pistol,  saying, 
''  Gentlemen,  I  shall  hold  out  my  handkerchief  thus.  At 
the  word  '  three '  I  shall  drop  the  handkerchief  and  you 
will  fire."  He  then  took  his  position  midway  between  the 
two  combatants,  and  a  few  paces  from  the  line  he  had 


144  Memories  of  Brown 

measured  off.  Holding  out  a  handkerchief,  he  said  in  a 
voice  that  startled  the  onlookers,  "  Gentlemen,  are  you 
ready?  One!  Two!  Three!"  At  the  word  "three,'' 
the  handkerchief  dropped  to  the  ground  and  there  was  a 
discharge  of  two  pistols.  The  cap  worn  by  one  of  the 
duellists  was  seen  to  fall  backwards  off  his  head,  and  the 
right  arm  of  the  other  man  fell  to  his  side.  The  four 
young  men  then  ran  together  into  a  group,  and  while  one 
of  them  hastily  bandaged  the  arm  of  his  friend,  the  other 
two  drove  rapidly  away.  They  were  soon  followed  by  the 
other  duellist  and  his  second.  The  whole  affair  had  not 
taken  five  minutes  ;  but  what  did  it  all  mean  .?  The  spec- 
tators guessed,  and  rightly  so,  that  the  actors  were  students 
from  Brown  University,  over  yonder  in  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  from  which  the  Seekonk  river  there  sepa- 
rates Massachusetts.  But  who  ever  heard  of  men  from 
the  land  of  Roger  Williams  invading  the  domain  of  Cot- 
ton Mather,  at  such  an  unseemly  hour  and  for  such  a 
bloodthirsty  purpose  ? 

Before  noon  the  farmer  had  gone  to  Providence,  and 
had  spread  as  widely  as  he  could  the  story  of  what  he  had 
seen.  The  duellists  were  soon  known  and  were  inter- 
viewed by  every  newspaper  reporter  in  the  city;  but 
nothing  more  was  learned  from  them  than  what  the 
farmer  and  his  family  had  been  telling  all  day.  Their 
story  was,  however,  corroborated  by  the  testimony  of  the 
keeper  of  the  toll-bridge,  who  noticed  specially  the  great 
agitation  of  the  young  men  who  first  crossed  the  bridge 
on  their  return  to  Providence,  and  after  he  had  been 
startled  by  hearing  pistol  shots  in  the  woods  near  the 
Massachusetts  end  of  the  bridge.  He  said  that  when  the 
second  buggy  crossed  the  bridge,  one  of  the  occupants 
was  leaning  back  in  the  corner  and  groaning  "  Oh,  my 
arm  ;  my  arm  ! "  And  while  he  was  wondering  what  it  all 
meant  the  young  man  who  was  driving  gave  the  horse  a 


Memories  of  Brown  1 45 

sudclen  cut  with  the  whip,  and  they  dashed  off  towards 
the  city  without  paying  their  toll.  The  next  morning  the 
newsboys  of  Providence  —  few  in  number  in  those  days  — 
were  running  all  about  the  campus  of  old  Brown  yelling, 
"Here  you  are!  All  about  the  duel  and  all  about  the 
faculty!"  As  one  of  the  duellists  was  a  Southerner 
and  had  unusually  long  hair,  and  wx)re  what  was  then 
known  as  a  "  border  ruffian  "  hat,  the  editors  of  the  two 
daily  papers  of  Providence  made  the  most  of  those  special 
features  of  the  affair  and  exhausted  their  vocabularies  in 
denunciation  of  "such  a  high-handed  attempt  to  import 
into  the  liberty-loving  North  the  barbarous  customs  of 
the  slave-holding  South."  The  faculty  of  Brown  was 
called  upon  to  turn  over  at  once  to  the  officers  of  the  law 
these  daring  and  insolent  invaders  of  peaceful  and  law- 
abiding  New  England.  A  prominent  citizen  of  Provi- 
dence left  for  Boston  on  Tuesday  armed  with  the  affida- 
vits of  the  farmer  and  his  household,  and  that  of  the 
keeper  of  the  toll-bridge,  to  urge  the  governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts to  call  upon  the  governor  of  Rhode  Island  to  ar- 
rest and  surrender  to  him  these  arrogant  law-breakers. 

Chapter  III 
What  It  Was 

"  Well,  Mr.  Nelson,  what  is  the  truth  as  to  the  duel 
said  to  have  been  fought  across  the  Seekonk  river  on 
Monday  last  by  Mr.  Bates  and  Mr.  Williams,  in  which  you 
and  Mr.  Kneass  are  said  to  have  acted  as  seconds,?"  It 
was  Dr.  Barnas  Sears,  president  of  Brown  University, 
who  asked  that  question,  as  I  entered  the  dreaded  pre- 
cincts of  his  study  on  W^ednesday,  the  second  day  after 
the  duel.  Messrs.  Bates,  Williams  and  Kneass  were  in 
the  parlor  of  the  presidential  mansion,  waiting  their  turn 


146  Memories  of  B. 


rown 


to  be  summoned  thence  into  the  doctor's  study.  We 
were  not  there  of  our  own  accord,  nor  for  the  purpose  of 
making  a  social  call  upon  Prex ;  far  from  it.  That 
morning  Teddy,  the  Irish  factotum  and  general  errand 
boy  of  the  university,  had  handed  to  each  of  us  a  note 
with  the  sympathetic  announcement,  "  I've  a  note  for  you 
from  the  president,  and  I'm  thinking  it's  about  that  jewel. 
It's  right  sorry  for  all  of  yer,  I  am."  He  was  right.  The 
note  was  to  advise  us  that  at  3  o'clock  that  afternoon  the 
president  expected  to  see  each  one  of  us  at  his  house. 

To  chapel  service  on  the  morning  of  the  duel  and  there- 
after to  recitations,  as  they  regularly  occurred,  Mr.  Bates 
had  gone,  carrying  his  right  arm  in  a  sling.  The  green 
cloth  cap  that  Williams  wore  on  that  eventful  morning 
was  found  to  have  had  two  holes  through  the  top,  and  to 
the  curious  inquirers  as  to  the  cause  of  those  holes,  Wil- 
liams had  constantly  replied,  "A  bullet  went  through  there." 
When,  however,  we  passed  into  the  vestibule  of  Dr.  Sears's 
house  that  afternoon.  Bates  suddenly  removed  his  arm 
from  the  sling  "  whole  as  the  other,"  and  Mr.  Williams 
was  ready  to  explain  how  it  was  that  "  a  bullet  went 
through  his  cap."  To  the  question  of  Dr.  Sears  as  above 
quoted  I  replied,  "  Dr.  Sears,  the  truth  is  that  the  wdiole 
affair  is  a  hoax  that  we  got  up  for  the  purpose  of  fooling 
the  students."  "  Was  there  then  no  duel  on  Monday 
last?"  asked  Dr.  Sears.  I  replied,  "  Mr.  Bates  and  Mr. 
Williams  did  fire  pistols  towards  each  other,  but  I  know 
that  there  were  no  balls  in  the  pistols,  as  I  loaded  them." 
"  But  how  about  the  quarrel  out  of  which  this  duel  is  said 
to  have  grown.?"  asked  the  president.  "That,"  said  I, 
"  was  all  arranged  beforehand,  as  part  of  the  hoax."  "  Well," 
said  the  doctor,  "  that  is  about  what  I  expected  to  learn  ; 
but  two  or  three  of  the  faculty  are  disposed  to  believe  that 
it  was  a  bona-fide  duel.  You  may  go,  Mr.  Nelson,"  and 
thereupon  I  was  directed  to  the  door  leading  to  the  street, 


Memories  of  Brown  147 

while  the  president  summoned  Mr.  Bates  into  his  study. 
Mr.  WilHams  was  the  last  of  the  four  to  be  closeted  with 
Dr.  Sears.  To  the  query,  "  But  how  about  that  cap  of 
yours,  Mr.  Williams?  Is  that  it  that  you  have  in  your 
hand  ?  You  have  told  those  who  asked  you  about  those 
holes  that  a  bullet  went  through  there;  was  that  the 
truth?  "  Mr.  Williams  replied,  "  It  certainly  was,  sir;  for 
after  we  came  back  last  Monday  morning  I  cut  those  holes 
with  my  knife,  and  then  pushed  a  bullet  through  with  a 
nail."  That  sophistical  explanation  was  too  much  for 
even  the  proverbial  gravity  of  Barnas  Sears,  and  he 
laughed  most  heartily. 

When  Williams  came  into  the  room  where  the  other 
"duellists"  had  met  after  leaving  the  president,  he  found 
Bates  making  up  for  the  time  he  had  lost,  when,  on  ac- 
count of  his  "  wounded  "  arm,  he  had  been  unable  to  play 
on  his  fiddle.  "The  Arkansas  Traveller"  was  now 
travelling  at  a  lively  pace,  and  at  intervals,  "  Here's  to 
Good  Old  Brown,  Drink  her  down"  was  being  sung 
lustily,  if  not  melodiously,  by  the  trio.  But  a  sudden  hush 
fell  upon  our  party  when  Williams  said,  "  Well,  you  fel- 
low^s  seem  to  be  pretty  jolly,  considering  the  fact  that  our 
duel  is  likely  to  land  us  in  a  Massachusetts  penitentiary." 
"  Penitentiary  ?  "  we  exclaimed  in  unison.  "  What  do  you 
mean  by  that  ? "  "  Did  not  the  Prex  tell  you  about 
Tristam  Burges?  "  said  Williams,  "about  his  having  gone 
to  Boston  yesterday  with  the  af^davits  of  that  toll-bridge 
keeper  and  that  farmer,  in  order  to  get  the  governor  of 
Massachusetts  to  call  upon  the  governor  of  this  state  to 
surrender  us  for  trial  ?  Dr.  Sears  says  that  if  once  the 
officers  get  their  hands  on  us,  as  we  would  not  be  allowed 
to  testify  in  our  own  behalf  at  the  trial,  and  as  we  have 
taken  such  good  care  to  make  everything  indicate  a  bona- 
fide  duel,  he  is  very  much  afraid  that  w^e  would  never  be 
able  to  make  a  Massachusetts  jury  believe  that   it  was 


1 48  Memories  of  B. 


rown 


only  a  college  students'  prank."  This  most  important 
news  Dr.  Sears  had  reserved  for  Williams,  who,  as  I  have 
said,  was  the  last  of  our  party  to  be  examined.  It  was 
startling  news  for  all  of  us,  and  had  the  president  told 
Williams  nothing  more  the  writer  would  very  probably 
have  already  served  out  a  sentence  of  twenty  years  in  a 
penitentiary.  But  just  then  Dr.  Sears  was  for  us,  "  the 
right  man  in  the  right  place."  He  told  Williams  that  if 
the  of^cers  of  the  law  called  upon  him  to  give  us  into 
their  custody,  it  would  be  his  duty  to  comply,  "if" — he 
significantly  added — "  I  can  find  you."  He  therefore  ad- 
vised us  to  conceal  ourselves  securely  the  next  day,  and  if 
the  ofificers  were  unable  when  they  first  reached  the  city 
to  find  us  at  our  rooms  or  boarding  house,  they  would  un- 
doubtedly call  on  him,  when  he  was  quite  confident  that 
he  could  convince  them  that  they  were  being  hoaxed. 
We  did  not  hesitate  about  acting  upon  the  president's 
advice,  and  that  night,  stealing  one  at  a  time  out  of  our 
rooms,  and  through  back  streets  and  by-ways  of  Provi- 
dence, we  gained  a  safe  hiding-place  with  a  classmate  who 
roomed  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city.  The  next  morning 
our  host  went  out  as  a  spy  in  our  interest  and  after  the 
arrival  of  the  morning  express  from  Boston  he  returned 
to  report  that  Mr.  Burges  with  two  companions  had  ar- 
rived by  that  train.  He  had  followed  them  to  the  gover- 
nor's office  and  thence  to  our  boarding-place,  where  they 
could  get  no  trace  of  us,  for  the  proprietor  said  that  we 
were  not  in  our  rooms  and  had  not  been  to  breakfast,  and 
the  chambermaid  reported  that  our  beds  had  not  been 
slept  in  the  previous  night.  Thence  he  had  followed 
them  to  the  president's,  but  there  they  stayed  so  long  that 
he  got  tired  watching  for  them  to  come  out  and  so  had 
returned  to  report.  All  our  attempts  at  jollity  during 
that  day  were  dismal  failures,  and  we  found  it  impossible 
to  follow  the  example  of  Mark  Tapley,  for  the  "  adverse 


Memories  of  Brown  149 

circumstances  were  too  real  and  personal."  Our  spy 
went  out  again,  to  return  after  the  departure  of  the  after- 
noon express  for  Boston.  College  songs  "  languished  on 
our  tongues  "  as  the  walls  of  a  penitentiary  began  to  loom 
large  upon  the  near  horizon,  while  we  looked  anxiously 
down  the  street  as  the  time  for  the  return  of  our  scout 
drew  near.  At  last  we  saw  him  running  towards  the 
house,  and,  as  we  threw  up  the  window-sash,  he  called 
out  —  waving  his  cap  over  his  head — "  Hurrah  !  hurrah  ! 
they've  gone  back  to  Boston."  It  had  turned  out  as  Dr. 
Sears  prophesied,  he  having  (as  we  always  believed) 
called  upon  the  governor  of  Rhode  Island  before  the 
Massachusetts  officials  arrived. 

The  agonizing  suspense  of  the  day  thus  joyfully  ended, 
we  forthwith  repaired  to  Westminster  street,  where,  arm 
in  arm,  and  so  taking  up  the  whole  sidewalk,  we  prome- 
naded, the  cynosure  of  all  eyes,  and  hearing  very  often  as 
we  passed  along,  the  words,  "  Look !  look  !  there  go  those 
students  that  fought  that  duel."  But  in  the  language  of 
the  "diamond,"  the  faculty  now  "came  to  the  bat,"  for  the 
following  day  our  friend  Teddy  called  again  upon  each  of 
us  with  another  note  from  the  president.  As  before, 
Teddy  was  confident  that  it  had  to  do  "  with  the  jewel " 
and  again  he  was  right,  though  it  was  not  now  an  invita- 
tion to  call  upon  Dr.  Sears.  The  note  handed  me  read 
as  follows : 

"On  account  of  your  participation  in  the  recent  pre- 
tended duel  between  Mr.  Clarence  Bates  and  Mr.  Charles 
P.  Williams,  your  connection  with  Brown  University  is 
temporarily  severed.  You  will  return  to  your  home  and 
there  remain  until  the  beginning  of  the  next  quarter, 
when  you  may  resume  your  place  in  the  university. 

"  Very  truly, 

Barnas  Sears,  President." 


1 50  Memories  of  Brown 

Bates  having  been  suspended  in  his  sophomore  year, 
and  restored  upon  promise  of  good  behavior  thereafter, 
was  now  expelled.  He  went  to  Union  College,  known 
among  college  men  of  those  days  as  "  Botany  Bay,"  and 
was  graduated  about  the  same  time  with  Williams  and 
the  writer  hereof  from  Brown.  Kneass  never  returned  to 
Brown. 

There  are  residents  of  Providence  who  still  believe  that 
the  above  is  a  fictitious  explanation  of  a  bona-fide  duel, 
by  which  the  actors  very  cleverly  slipped  out  of  the 
clutches  of  the  law;  but  as  the  sole  survivor  of  the  par- 
ticipants in  that  serio-comic  college  scrape,  I  make  aflfi- 
davit  to  the  literal  and  complete  truthfulness  of  the  fore- 
going narrative. 

A.  H.  Nelson,  1838. 


M 


emortes 


of  Bro 


wn 


51 


John  Hay,   1858 


WHEN  the  time  came  for  the  selection  of  a  col- 
lege,   it  is  not  strange  that    Hay  —  influenced, 
undoubtedly,   by  the  fact  that  Providence  had 
been  the  early  home  of  his  mother  and  Brown 
University  the  Alma  Mater  of  his  maternal  grandfather 
(Rev.  David  Leonard,  1792,  the  poet  of  his  class)  —  made 


John  Hay,  M 
(Taken  in  1857) 


choice   of    this   college.      He   therefore   entered    Brown 
and   at   once    took   high    rank    as    a  writer.     This    was 


1 52  Memories  of  B 


rown 


evident  not  only  from  his  essays  in  the  departments  of 
rhetoric  and  the  various  sciences  —  in  short,  in  all  those 
studies  in  which  good  writing  subjoined  to  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  subject  is  required  —  but  from  the  fact 
that  whenever  anything  above  the  ordinary  was  needed 
in  the  way  of  composition  his  services  were  at  once  drawn 
upon.  This,  too,  was  the  more  noticeable  when  it  is  re- 
called that  the  class  of  which  he  was  a  member  was  made 
up  of  an  unusual  number  of  brilliant  men,  excelling  es- 
pecially in  composition,  and  many  of  whom  have  since 
become  eminent  in  different  walks  of  life,  particularly  that 
of  journalism.  His  class  poem,  delivered  in  1858,  before 
an  audience  composed  chiefly  of  highly  cultivated  and 
beautiful  women  —  Hay  was  always  a  great  favorite  with 
the  ladies  —  is  a  model  of  its  kind.  The  close  of  this 
poem  (to  my  mind  the  quintessence  of  healthy  sentiment) 
is  such  an  exquisite  gem  that  the  readers  of  "  Memories 
of  Brown  "  will  thank  me  for  reproducing  it  in  this  con- 
nection : 

"  Our  words  may  not  float  down  the  surging  ages, 

As  Hindoo  lamps  adown  the  sacred  stream  ; 
We  may  not  stand  sublime  on  history's  pages, 

The  bright  ideals  of  the  future's  dream  ; 
Yet  we  may  all  strive  for  the  goal  assigned  us, 

Glad  if  we  win,  and  happy  if  we  fail ; 
Work  calmly  on,  nor  care  to  leave  behind  us 

The  lurid  glaring  of  the  meteor's  trail. 
As  we  go  forth,  the  smiling  world  before  us 

Shouts  to  our  youth  the  old  inspiring  tune  ; 
The  same  blue  sky  of  God  is  bending  o'er  us. 

The  green  earth  sparkles  in  the  joy  of  June. 
Where'er  afar  the  beck  of  fate  shall  call  us, 

'Mid  winter's  boreal  chill  or  summer's  blaze, 
Fond  memory's  chain  of  flowers  shall  still  enthrall  us, 

Wreathed  by  the  spirits  of  these  vanished  days. 


Memories  of  Brown  153 

Our  hearts  shall  bear  them  safe  through  life's  commotion, 
Their  fading  gleam  shall  light  us  to  our  graves; 

As  in  the  shell  the  memories  of  ocean 
Murmur  fore\er  of  the  sounding  waves." 


John  Hay,  1858 
(One  of  his  latest  portraits) 


Hay,  during  his  college  career,  was,  like  his  favorite 
poet,  Shelley,  of  a  singularly  modest  and  retiring  disposi- 
tion ;  but,  withal,  of  so  winning  a  manner  that  no  one 
could  be  in  his  presence,  even  for  a  few  moments,  without 
falling  under  the  spell  which  his  conversation  and  com- 
panionship invariably  cast  upon  all  who  came  within  his 


154  Memories  of  Brown 

influence.  He  was,  indeed,  to  his  little  circle  of  intimates, 
a  young  Dr.  Johnson  without  his  boorishness,  or  a  Dr. 
Goldsmith  without  his  frivolity.  Upon  his  first  entering 
the  university,  the  intellectual  bullies  of  his  class,  mistak- 
ing these  traits  for  weakness,  were  disposed  to  look  down 
upon  the  newly  entered  collegian  from  Illinois.  It  was 
but  a  little  while,  however,  when  his  sterling  worth  gave 
them  pause. 

During  his  entire  college  life  the  stand  in  scholarship 
taken  by  Hay  among  his  classmates  was  of  a  high  order. 
Nor  did  his  industry  (although  his  ability  rendered  that 
habit  of  less  value  to  him  than  to  others)  prevent  his  giving 
friendly  aid  to  members  of  his  class  not  so  gifted.  Hay 
was  for  some  ten  months  my  chum  and  bedfellow ;  and 
often,  after  returning  from  a  party  late  at  night,  when  it 
was  "  odds  with  morning  which  was  which,"  I  have  found 
him  sitting  up  writing  out  a  Latin  or  a  French  exercise 
for  some  classmate  whose  intellectual  furnishment  was 
not  of  the  highest  order. 

To  his  friends  it  has  always  been  a  source  of  much  dis- 
appointment that  he  did  not  woo  the  Muse  more  zealously. 
Hay's  faculty  of  rapid  composition  was  simply  marvellous, 
and  would  scarcely  be  believed,  even  by  myself,  had  I  not 
repeatedly  witnessed  it.  I  recall  an  instance  in  point. 
One  evening,  shortly  before  the  close  of  the  term  which 
was  to  conclude  Hay's  college  life,  I  had  gone  to  bed,  but 
was  not  asleep,  when  Hay  entered  our  room.  To  my  re- 
mark, "  Hay,  we  have  not  now  long  to  be  together,  and  I 
wish  you  would  write  something  for  me  to  keep,"  he  drew 
toward  him  a  sheet  of  paper,  lying  on  the  table,  and  with- 
out any  hesitation  rapidly  wrote  off  four  stanzas  which  I 
consider  —  even  now  that  I  have  come  to  mature  age  and 
judgment  —  one  of  the  most  charming  odes  I  have  ever 
read.  It  was  entitled"  My  Dream ;"  and  in  the  rhythm 
of  its  numbers  and  the  beauty  of  its  diction  it  more  than 


M, 


emortes  o 


ofB^ 


rown 


55 


equalled  the  verse  of  some  of  our  more  pretentious  poets. 
In  conclusion  ;  as  a  dear  friend  and  brother,  as  his  chum 
and  bedfellow  in  college,  with  all  the  intimacy  those  terms 
imply,  and  having  had  exceptional  opportunities  of  know- 
ing his  life  since  he  left  college,  I  may  say  of  him  as 
Horace  wrote  of  his  friend,  Fuscus: 

''''Integer  vitae  scelerisquc punLs 
Noil  eget  Mauris  jaciilis  iicc  arcii'.' 


William  Leete  Stone,  ^8^8. 


Professor  Nathaniel  P.  Hill 
(A  later  portrait) 


156  Memories  of  Brown 

President  Wayland  as  Seen   by  His 

Nephew 


IT  has  been  frequently  alleged  against  Dr.  Wayland, 
both  as  a  teacher  and  as  a  man,  that  he  was  stern,  im- 
perious and  dictatorial,  without  charity  for  human 
frailty.  Nothing  can  be  more  unjust.  His  own  ideal  of 
right  rendered  him,  it  is  true,  at  all  times  impatient  of  wil- 
ful wrong  in  others  ;  but  once  he  was  convinced  that  a  per- 
son sincerely  endeavored  to  do  right  —  even  though  the 
flesh  sometimes  got  the  mastery  —  no  one  was  more  gentle 
and  loving  than  this  stern  man.  Indeed,  his  practical 
kindnesses  towards  students  struggling  after  an  education 
were  both  numerous  and  delicate.  An  instance  in  point 
came  under  the  notice  of  the  writer.  A  poor  student 
(now  a  prominent  man),  who  was  forced,  if  he  would  go 
through  college,  to  use  the  strictest  economy,  had  for 
many  months  literally  subsisted  on  crackers  and  water. 
(I  have  often  myself  seen  his  barrel  of  crackers  in  his 
room  in  the  "  Hope  Building,")  As  a  very  natural  conse- 
quence, in  accordance  with  the  principle,  sa7ta  mens  in  cor- 
Pore  sauo,  the  student  grew  poorer  in  his  recitations  in 
proportion  to  his  loss  of  bodily  power.  At  length,  observ- 
ing the  nature  of  his  scholarship,  President  Wayland  sent 
for  the  student,  and,  upon  learning  the  facts  of  the  case, 
gave  him  the  privilege  of  takingfrom  his  cow  —  a  valuable 
Durham,  imported  by  the  doctor  from  England  —  two 
quarts  of  milk  a  day,  at  the  same  time  adding  from  his 
own  purse  — -at  no  time  very  plethoric  —  a  sum  which  was 


Me??iories  oj  Brown  157 

of  material  advantage  to  the  student.  The  recitations  of 
the  student  from  that  time  steadily  improved,  so  that  he 
finally  graduated  with  the  honors  of  his  class. 

Nor  was  his  sternness  —  as  many  have  supposed  — 
habitual.  Once  freed  from  the  ofificial  harness,  his  inter- 
course with  all  was  marked  by  a  geniality  of  conversation 
and  manner  which  irresistibly  attracted  those  who  were 
so  fortunate  as  to  come  within  the  circle  of  his  intimate 
acquaintance.  Nor  was  this  all.  His  sense  of  the  ludi- 
crous was  most  keen,  and  while  his  humor  was  never 
hilarious,  his  appreciation  of  wit  in  others  was  quick,  and 
his  quiet  drollery  irresistible.  It  sparkled  in  his  conver- 
sation and  sometimes  in  his  letters.  The  writer  well  re- 
members that  once  —  in  one  of  the  many  delightful  walks 
which  it  was  his  privilege  to  enjoy  with  him  —  in  reply  to 
a  question  as  to  the  design  of  a  certain  building  in  the  dis- 
tance, he  answered,  with  that  merry  twinkle  which  those 
familiar  with  him  will  at  once  recall,  "  Oh,  that  is  for 
boys  whose  Latin  is  bad  —  who  have  never  been  taught 
the  distinction  between  nictiui  and  haim  !  " 

I  well  remember  one  Sunday  morning  when  Dr.  Way- 
land  was  temporarily  supplying  the  pulpit  of  the  First 
Baptist  Meeting-House,  then  vacant  by  the  death  of  Dr. 
Granger,  I  walked  with  him  to  the  meeting-house  and  I 
remarked,  on  seeing  a  large  number  of  people  going  in : 
"Uncle,  you  are  going  to  have  a  large  congregation  to- 
day." "  Yes,  William,"  he  replied,  "  but  they  are  all  ivell 
dressed  !  " 

As  an  orator,  Dr.  Wayland  cannot,  in  the  popular  sense 
of  that  word,  be  called  great ;  yet,  if  to  have  the  gift  of 
speaking  with  fluency  and  elegance,  and  if  stirring  an 
audience  to  the  very  depths  of  emotional  feeling,  is  elo- 
quence, he  certainly  possessed  that  quality  to  a  remark- 
able degree.  Indeed,  there  are  passages  in  some  of  his 
sermons    and   addresses   which,   for    power    and   moral 


1 58  Memories  of  Brown 

grandeur,  have  rarely  been  surpassed.  Of  this  nature  was 
his  address  deHvered  at  the  commencement  of  Union 
College  in  1854,  the  year  which  witnessed  the  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  the  presidency  of  the  late  Dr.  Nott.  "When 
Dr.  Wayland  closed,"  said  a  person  who  was  present,  to 
the  writer,  "had  we  at  that  moment  beheld  with  mortal 
vision  the  '  pearly  gates  '  opening  to  receive  our  president, 
no  one  would  have  been  startled,  but  considered  it  a  natural 
sequence  of  that  which  we  had  just  heard,  so  completely 
were  the  time  and  circumstances  of  the  occasion  for- 
gotten." 

It  was  my  privilege,  occasionally,  to  accompany  my 
uncle  on  various  errands  of  mercy  ;  and  in  this  connection 
an  amusing  circumstance  recurs  to  me,  viz.  that  Dr.  Way- 
land  invariably  took  off  his  hat  to  any  negro  (by  whose 
race  he  was  specially  beloved)  whom  he  chanced  to  meet, 
who  took  off  his  hat  to  him  —  saying  in  explanation  of 
this  habit,  that  he  would  not  be  outdone  in  politeness  by 
even  the  most  humble.  Indeed,  it  was  quite  a  standing 
joke  among  the  members  of  Dr.  Wayland's  family  that 
his  hats  rapidly  became  shabby  on  this  account ! 

Dr.  Samuel  W.  Abbott,  secretary  of  the  class  of  '58, 
and  a  close  personal  friend  of  mine,  in  the  course  of  a 
letter  written  to  me,  some  years  ago,  gives  an  anecdote  of 
President  Wayland.     Dr.  Abbott  writes  : 

"  Your  uncle.  Dr.  Wayland,  was  a  grand  old  man,  and 
although  I  was  only  one  year  in  college,  as  a  freshman, 
under  him,  and  only  a  boy  of  seventeen  at  that,  I  came  to 
entertain  the  highest  regard  for  him. 

"  I  remember,  with  great  pleasure,  his  sermons  in  the 
following  year  at  the  Baptist  church,  and  especially  the 
simplicity  and  clearness  of  his  style.  I  have  some  of  his 
sermons  now,  taken  down  as  I  sat  in  the  gallery  of  the 
church. 

"  One  day,  an  exceedingly  cold  winter  day,  he  preached 


Mi 


emortes 


ofB 


rown 


59 


with  a  big  pair  of  mittens  on  his  hands,  the  church  being 
rather  cold  for  comfort.  His  wonderful  address  at  a  hall 
on  Dorrance  street,  on  the  occasion  of  the  attack  of  Brooks 
on  Sumner,  is  another  of  the  vivid  recollections  which 
come  up  before  me,  as  he  stood  on  the  platform,  denounc- 
ing the  institution  of  slavery  in  the  strongest  terms." 

William  Leete  Stone,  18^8. 


John  Carter  Brown 
A  University  Benefactor 


60  Memories  of  Brown 


Brown  at  the  Close  of  the  Fifties 


Brown  University  from  1855  to  1859  was  very  different 
from  what  it  is  today.  The  entire  faculty  consisted  of 
10  members,  the  number  of  resident  graduates  was  2,  and 
the  number  of  other  students  was  223,  In  1858-59  the 
number  fell  to  189.  The  colleg-e  buildings  consisted  of 
five,  namely  University  Hall,  Manning  Hall,  Hope  Col- 
lege and  Rhode  Island  Hall,  together  with  the  president's 
house,  to  which,  perhaps,  should  be  added  also  the  Uni- 
versity Grammar  School.  The  library  was  a  very  small 
affair.  It  was  housed  in  the  lower  story  of  Manning 
Hall  (the  chapel  being  in  the  upper  story),  and  con- 
tained, when  I  entered  college,  28,000  volumes. 

Among  the  faculty,  unquestionably  Lincoln,  or 
"Johnny  Link,"  as  we  called  him,  was  by  far  the  most 
popular,  as  he  had  been  and  was  destined  to  be  for  many 
years.  The  two  men  to  whom  I  think  I  owe  the  most 
intellectually,  though  they  were  by  no  means  personally 
my  favorite  teachers,  were  Gammell  and  Chace.  I  do 
not  know  that  I  have  ever  heard  any  man  who  explained 
history  more  philosophically  and  made  it  more  entertain- 
ing and  attractive  by  tracing  historical  events  back  to 
their  ultimate  causes  than  Professor  Gammell.  From 
what  I  heard  later,  I  suppose  the  lamented  Diman  was 
even  superior  to  him.  Chace,  on  the  other  hand,  was  the 
most  critical  logician.  I  think  that  he  was  the  strongest 
man  intellectually  of  the  entire  faculty.  I  shall  never  for- 
get his  voluntary  class  in  Butler's  Analogy.  With  a 
wealth  of  illustrations,  breadth  of  knowledge  and  large- 


Memories  of  Brown  161 

ness  of  view,  he  crowded  the  room  by  his  attractive  Sun- 
day afternoon  classes. 

Unfortunately  I  never  came  under  the  influence  of  Dr. 
Wayland  as  president,  though  I  saw  him  a  few  times  so- 
cially and  heard  him  constantly  when  he  filled  the  pulpit 
of  the  old  First  Baptist  Meeting-House  after  the  death 
of  Dr.  Granger  and  before  Dr.  Caldwell  became  the 
minister.  It  may  well  be  said  that  he  filled  the  pulpit. 
He  also  filled  the  house. 

Dr.  Sears  was  one  of  the  most  acute  reasoners  and  one 
of  the  most  learned  men  in  his  specialty  that  I  ever  met, 
but  after  all  the  mental  grip  of  Chace  was  far  the  strong- 
est. 

Sometimes  we  boys  enjoyed  an  intellectual  combat  be- 
tween two  members  of  the  faculty,  one  of  which  at  exami- 
nation time  I  have  never  forgotten,  and,  in  fact,  the  ques- 
tion then  propounded  has  puzzled  me  ever  since.  It 
always  seemed  to  me  odd  that  Professor  Chace  should 
come  into  the  recitation  room  of  dear  old  Dr.  Caswell, 
whom  we  all  knew  as  "  Cax,"  and  take  a  hand  in  the  ex- 
amination of  the  students.  In  reply  to  a  question  from 
Caswell  a  student  had  defined  a  solid  as  one  in  which  the 
force  of  attraction  was  greater  than  that  of  repulsion,  a 
fiuidasone  in  which  the  two  forces  were  equal,  while  in  a 
gas  the  repulsive  force  was  greater  than  that  of  attraction. 
At  this  point,  Chace  put  this  poser  to  the  student : 

"  You  say,  Mr.  A,  that  in  a  solid  the  force  of  attraction 
is  greater  than  that  of  repulsion  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Is  it  not  true  that  if  two  unequal  forces  act  upon  a 
molecule  in  opposite  directions  it  will  move  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  greater  force?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"If  then,  in  a  solid,  the  force  of  attraction  is  greater 
than  that  of  repulsion,  why  does  not  a  solid  shrink  until 


1 62  Memories  of  Brown 

the  two  are  equal  ?  "  I  do  not  remember  the  termination 
of  the  incident,  but  the  question  has  puzzled  me  from 
then  until  now,  for  I  have  never  yet  seen  a  satisfactory 
definition  of  these  three  different  states  of  matter. 

Unquestionably  the  two  students  between  1855  and 
1859  who  have  since  become  the  most  famous  are  Rich- 
ard Olney  of  the  class  of  '56  and  John  Hay  (whose  name 
appears  in  the  catalogue  as  John  M.  Hay)  of  the  class  of 
'58.  On  class  day  in  1856  the  president  of  the  day  was 
George  L.  Stedman,  the  orator  was  Richard  Olney  and 
the  poet  was  Francis  W.  White.  Of  Richard  Olney  the 
Providence  Journal  said,  "This  young  gentleman  de- 
livered an  admirable  address  on  the  importance  of  carry- 
ing literary  culture  into  professional  life,  a  theme  well 
adapted  to  the  question  and  which  he  discussed  in  a  man- 
ly and  scholarly  spirit."  I  am  sure  that  Mr.  Olney 's  later 
life  has  been  as  good  an  illustration  of  his  theme  as  any 
that  he  quoted  in  his  oration.  In  1857  Daniel  Goodwin 
was  the  orator  and  George  W.  Carr  the  poet.  Unfor- 
tunately, I  think,  these  four  orations  and  poems  were 
never  printed,  but  I  have  in  my  scrap-book  a  pamphlet, 
printed  for  private  distribution,  containing  the  oration 
and  poem  delivered  on  class  day,  June  10,  1858,  by 
Samuel  T.  Harris  and  John  M.  Hay,  respectively.  Mr. 
Hay's  poem  is  well  w^orth  reading  today  for  its  rhythm, 
its  graceful  expression  and  its  sentiment.  Both  Olney 
and  Hay  gave  promise  at  that  early  day  of  their  later 
eminence. 

Until  1870,  commencement  was  always  held  on  the 
first  Wednesday  in  September.  Earlier  in  the  history  of 
the  college,  commencement  shook  the  entire  state  of 
Rhode  Island.  It  was  the  great  event  of  the  year,  but 
with  increased  population  and  diversity  of  interests  the 
tremor  of  the  state  by  1855  had  perceptibly  lessened. 
But  it  was  still  in  college  annals,  naturally,  the  event  of 


Memories  of  Brow?t  1 63 

the  year.  I  well  remember  with  what  awe  as  an  incom- 
ing freshman  I  marched  down  the  hill  just  back  of  the 
band  and  saw  men  whose  names  I  venerated  so  much 
follow  President  Sears  between  the  lines  of  the  proces- 
sion and  enter  the  old  historic  church,  Samuel  Ames, 
Isaac  Davis,  John  Kingsbury,  dear  old  Quaker,  Ur. 
Tobey,  Governor  Arnold,  Rufus  Babcock,  Heman  Lin- 
coln, Dr.  Hague,  Baron  Stowe,  Gardner  Colby,  and 
others. 

Among  the  commencements,  next  to  the  one  in  w'hich 
I  myself  graduated  ('59),  that  of  1857  has  always  stood 
out  prominently  in  my  memory.  The  Alpha  Delta  Phi 
held  a  special  celebration  of  the  21st  year  from  its  found- 
ing. The  oration  was  delivered  by  George  William 
Curtis  on  "  The  Nature,  Duty  and  Responsibility  of  Pa- 
triotism." It  was  certainly  one  of  the  finest  addresses 
which  I  have  ever  listened  to,  only  equalled  in  the  vivid- 
ness of  my  recollection  of  it  by  a  sermon  which  I  heard 
later  by  Edwards  A.  Park,  '26,  on  the  text,  "  I  shall  be  sat- 
isfied when  I  awake  in  Thy  likeness." 

A  very  distinguished  visitor  was  received  at  Brown  in 
1856.  Mr.  Edward  Everett,  who  delivered  his  oration  on 
Washington  on  April  19,  made  a  visit  to  the  university, 
where  he  was  received  by  the  president  and  faculty  and 
was  presented  to  all  the  students.  Less  than  four  weeks 
after  this  address,  an  indignation  meeting  was  held  in 
W'estminster  Hall  to  express  the  feelings  of  the  citizens 
at  the  assault  on  Senator  Sumner  by  "Bully"  Brooks. 
As  the  first  citizen  of  the  state.  Dr.  Wayland  w^as  asked 
to  address  the  meeting.  After  a  number  of  other  speak- 
ers had  inflamed  the  audience  almost  to  the  highest  pitch 
of  anger,  the  ponderous  form  of  Dr.  Wayland  was  seen 
mounting  to  the  stage.  His  well-known  conservative 
character  and  the  high  personal  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held  caused  him  to  receive  a  most  enthusiastic  welcome. 


164 


M, 


em  ones 


o/B. 


rown 


Instead  of  inflaming  the  passion  of  his  audience  still 
further,  he  made  a  quiet,  dignified,  logical  argument  in 
favor  of  government  by  law  rather  than  by  violence. 
Almost  at  the  end  of  his  speech,  he  burst  out  into  one 
sentence,  a  very  simple  one,  but  one  which  made  an  im- 
pression upon  my  mind  and  the  minds  of  everyone  pres- 
ent that  could  never  be  forgotten  :  "  I  was  born  free  and 
I  cannot  be  made  a  slave."  I  shall  never  forget  the  won- 
derful outburst  which  followed  that  sentence.  It  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  continue  his  speech  for  perhaps  fully 
ten  minutes.  Everybody  shouted  himself  hoarse  and 
hats  were  thrown  into  the  air  and  twirled  on  the  tops  of 
canes.  I  have  never  before  and  never  since  seen  such  a 
wild  demonstration. 

William  W.  Keen,  i8§g. 


John  Nicholas  Brown,    1885 
A   University  Benefactor 


Memories  of  Brown  '  1 65 


The  Angell  Cradle 


SHORTLY  before  I  entered  the  university  in  Sep- 
tember, 1855,  President — then  professor — James  B. 
Angell  was  married.  We  boys  declared  that  he  had 
won  the  "  mathematical  prize  " — the  daughter  of 
dear  old  Professor  Caswell.  That  she  was  a  "  prize  "  in- 
deed all  who  ever  knew  her  gracious  personality  will 
testify.  During  my  sophomore  year  his  first  baby  was 
born.  Dr.  Angell  then  was  "  professor  of  modern  lan- 
guages," /.  e.,  French  and  German.  His  pupils  in  both 
classes  were  kept  posted  as  to  the  approximate  date  by  a 
sub-freshman  friend,  Mrs.  Angell's  brother — now  Admiral 
Caswell,  U.  S.  A.  (retired). 

The  two  classes  met  and  appointed  a  committee,  of 
whom  I  remember  I  was  one,  and  supplied  them  with 
funds  to  buy  the  finest  cradle  that  could  be  had  in 
Rhode  Island  and  Providence  Plantations.  It  was  a 
splendid  mahogany  creation,  if  my  memory  is  not  at 
fault,  with  a  lace  canopy,  and  went  by  clock-work.  Upon 
a  silver  plate  the  inscription  was  all  engraved — except 
the  name  and  date,  which  had  to  await  events.  As  soon 
as  both  were  decided  the  plate  was  completed  and  the 
cradle  sent  home  in  triumph. 

When  the  baby  was  a  year  old,  Professor  and  Mrs. 
Angell  invited  all  of  the  donors  who  were  still  in  college 
and  a  number  of  Providence  girls  to  what  was  known  in 
those  simple  days  as  a  "  party."  Towards  the  close  of  the 
delightful  evening  a  dozen  of  the  boys  gathered  around 
the  piano  and  sang,  to  the  tune  of  "  Cocachelunk,"  the 


166  Memories  of  B. 


rown 


song  which  I  give  below.  It  was  written  by  John  Hay 
of  '58 — who  though  a  year  before  myself  was  yet  a  mem- 
ber of  the  same  modern  language  class  by  reason  of  the 
peculiar  arrangements  then  existing  as  to  degrees.  He 
gave  me  the  original  manuscript,  which  a  few  years  ago  I 
gave  to  the  university  with  a  lot  of  other  Brunoniana  I 
collected  while  a  student.  It  is  now  in  the  library.  Hay 
was  not  satisfied  with  his  first  effort  and  scratched  out 
the  entire  first  verse  and  began  anew.  When  we  had  fin- 
ished our  song  Dr.  Angell  read  a  metrical  response 
"  from  the  baby." 

The  cradle  has  done  duty  in  the  second  generation  and 
for  aught  I  know  is  still  busily  employed  in  the  third. 

William  W.  Keen,  18 ^g. 


President  Angell 


Memories  of  Brown  1 67 

Thk  AnctELl  Cradlk. 
Tune — Cocachelunk. 

Once  to  earth  there  came  an  angel, 

Wingless  he  was  wafted  down, 
And  his  wailings  woke  the  echoes, 

Slumbering  round  the  walls  of  Brown. 

Chorus — Cocachelunk  che  lunk,  etc. 

Then  outspoke  a  reverend  senior, 

Bending  with  the  weight  of  years, 
"  We  will  give  him  a  reception. 

Worthy  of  the  name  he  bears.'' 

"  We  will  frame  a  mighty  cradle, 

Suited  to  this  youthful  swell, 
(For  the  student  knows  how  useful 

Is  the  art  of  lying  well). 

"  It  shall  be  propelled  by  clock-work, 
Which  will  teach  this  juvenile  brick, 

In  his  youth  to  play  the  student — 

Wanting  'rocks  '  to  go  '  on  tick.'  " 

When  the  mighty  work  was  finished, 

On  the  gift  one  glance  he  threw, 
Crowed  his  moderate  approbation, 

And  concluded  it  would  do. 

Now  the  rolling  year  has  vanished, 

We  with  loyal  hearts  and  true 
Come  to  wish  "  that  blessed  baby" 

With  success,  successors  too. 

Let  us  hope  for  future  classes, 

Repetitions  of  the  scene. 
Not  like  other  "  angel's  visits," 

Neither  "  few  nor  far  between." 

Jo/ni  Hay,  18^8. 


1 68  Memories  of  Brown 


An  Initiation  Into  the  "  Phils  " 


WHEN  I  entered  Brown  University  as  a  sopho. 
more,  in  1857,  I  found  two  open  literary  soci- 
eties, known  as  the  Philermenian  and  the  United 
Brothers.  They  occupied  two  small  halls  on 
the  fourth  fioor  at  the  north  end  of  Hope  College.  The 
reputation  of  each  was  well  known  to  college  boys  and 
faculty.  The  United  Brothers  bore  a  name  for  good 
fellowship,  lots  of  fun  and  little  of  literary  work,  while  the 
"  Phils  "  were  a  working  body,  with  a  good  standard  for 
literary  and  debating  ability.  Although  a  member  of 
Alpha  Delta  Phi,  I  was  desirous  of  joining  one  of  the  open 
societies  and  was  "  electioneered  "  by  members  of  both  to 
join,  my  choice  being  in  favor  of  the  "  Phils,"  where  most 
of  my  special  friends  were  members. 

In  due  time,  in  the  autumn  of  1857,  a  day  was  selected 
for  initiation  into  the  two  open  societies  and  notice  was 
publicly  given  that  on  a  certain  Saturday  afternoon  in 
October,  at  two  o'clock, the  exercises  of  initiation  and  in- 
troduction would  be  held  in  the  rooms  of  the  societies, 
whose  entrance  doors  were  opposite  each  other  at  the 
head  of  the  stairs  in  the  upper  hallway.  The  initiates  to 
both  societies  were  quietly  told  that  they  would  not  be  ex- 
pected to  appear  in  evening  dress,  and  might  be  called 
upon  to  re-dress  before  the  public  exercises  began.  With 
some  of  my  class,  I  ascended  the  stairs  at  the  appointed 
hour,  and  at  the  foot  of  the  last  flight  witnessed  the  initia- 
tory contest  going  on  at  the  head  of  the  stairs  above. 
Four  or  more  stalwart  men  of   the  upper  classes  were 


Memories  of  Brown  1 69 

stationed  at. each  door,  facing  each  other  for  the  expected 
fray,  and  each  initiate  as  he  reached  the  landing  was  seized 
by  the  stahvarts  of  both  societies.  The  pulHng,  struggling 
and  shouting  of "  Brothers  !  "  "  Phils  !  "  showed  the  littcr-ary 
contest  that  was  going  on.  There  was  no  retreat,  and  up 
we  went  to  meet  the  ordeal.  I  was  seized  by  the  stalwarts 
of  both  societies.  My  hat  and  coat  were  soon  among  the 
debris  of  the  hallway,  and  waistcoat  and  shirt  were  also 
lost  in  the  uiclee.  At  one  time  I  found  myself  in  both 
rooms,  my  head  being  in  the  hall  of  the  "  Phils  "  and  my 
feet  in  that  of  the  "  Brothers."  With  me  it  was  arms 
against  legs,  with  a  possibility  of  a  separation,  my  head 
and  arms  going  to  the  "  Phils,"  and  my  legs  and  some  part 
of  my  body,  wherever  the  division  should  take  place,  to  the 
"  Brothers."  Only  one  thing  was  in  my  favor,  and  that  was 
my  luill.  I  wanted  to  join  the  "  Phils  "  and  I  threw  the 
force  of  my  energies  towards  my  friends  on  the  north  side 
of  the  stairway.  After  much  pulling  and  hauling,  I  man- 
aged to  draw  my  body  across  the  hall  within  the  desired 
haven.  I  went  into  that  initiatory  service  a  httle  over  six 
feet  in  height.  I  now  measure  six  feet,  four  and  a  half 
inches.  The  oration  and  poem  which  constituted  the 
literary  part  of  the  afternoon  exercises  were  thoroughly 
appreciated,  as  every  part  of  my  body,  mind  and  soul  was 
alive  to  my  environment.  It  cost  me  just  ^4.75  to  make 
good  the  losses  of  that  October  afternoon. 

Thomas  Williams  Bicknell,  i860. 


1 70  Memories  of  Brown 

The  Philermenians  and   the  United 

Brothers 


WHEN    I  matriculated  at    Brown    in    1857,   two 
literary  societies,  the  Philermenian  and  United 
Brothers,  pressed  their  rival  claims  upon  the 
members  of  the  entering  class.     The  two  soci- 
eties had  quarters  on  the  fourth  floor  of   Hope  College, 
the  former  occupying  the  large  room  on  the  right  of  the 
hallway  at  the  top  of  the  staircase  and  extending  the  en- 
tire width   of  the  building  on  Waterman  street,  and  the 
other  occupying  the  room  of  equal  size  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  hallway.     Each  had  a  library  for  the  use  of  its  mem- 
bers.    At  commencement  time,  the  present  and  past  mem- 
bers of  the  two  societies  alternating  every  other  year  with 
the  Rhode  Island  Alpha  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  marched 
to  the  First   Baptist  Church,  and  listened  to  an  oration 
and  poem  delivered  under  their  auspices.     It  was  under- 
stood that  the  expenses  of  this  biennial  celebration  would 
be  borne  by  the  two  societies,  and  they  were  so  borne  in 
the  earlier  history  of  both;  but  when  I  entered  college 
the  best  days  of  the  two  organizations  had  passed,  and  they 
were  already  in  that  period  of  decline  that  ended  not  long 
after  in  their  dissolution.     The  United  Brothers  society, 
however,  was  much  farther  advanced  in  its  progress  to- 
ward   dissolution    than    was    the    Philermenian,   and    its 
finances  were  already  at  a  low  ebb,  and  had  been  for  some 
time.     Both,  naturally,  were  making  vigorous  efforts  to 
secure  new  members,  and  the  first  weeks  of  my  freshman 


Me?/iories  of  Brown  i71 

year  were  characterized  by  an  active  canvass  on  the  part 
of  the  members  of  each  society  so  as  to  secure  as  large  a 
number  of  the  new  men  as  possible.  The  representations 
of  the  Philermenians  that  the  United  Brothers  had  few 
meetings  and  that  the  society  was  in  a  moribund  condi- 
tion had  weight  with  me  in  the  electioneering  season,  and 
I  joined  the  apparently  more  prosperous  society. 

The  meetings  of  the  Philermenians  were  fairly  well  at- 
tended, and  I  have  still  pleasant  memories  of  debates  in 
the  society  hall  upon  some  of  the  more  important  public 
themes  engrossing  attention  in  those  four  memorable 
years  preceding  the  Civil  War.  Though  the  college 
fraternities  were  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and  the  in- 
terest of  the  students  was  largely  drawn  to  them,  there 
was  enough  of  life  still  remaining  in  the  Philermenian 
society  to  make  membership  in  it  exceedingly  profitable. 

But  the  United  Brothers  society  had  found  it  increas- 
ingly dii^cult,  as  the  years  went  by,  to  hold  its  regular 
meetings  ;  and  in  my  freshman  year  about  the  only  meet- 
ings held  were  those  at  the  opening  of  the  year,  when  a 
strong  effort  was  made  to  impress  the  freshmen  by  an  ex- 
hibition of  vigorous  life.  In  this  way  the  Brothers  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  quite  a  number  of  new  recruits,  the 
society  after  the  election  returning  to  its  previous  languish- 
ing condition. 

At  the  beginning  of  my  sophomore  year,  the  Philer- 
menian found  that  the  Brothers  were  making  an  active 
canvass  for  new  members  and  were  holding  a  few  meet- 
ings in  aid  of  the  movement.  The  electioneering  cam- 
paign in  its  progress  seemed  to  demand  extraordinary 
efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Philermenians,  and  considerable 
thought  was  given  to  the  situation.  The  matter  was 
handled  with  much  secrecy,  so  that  the  Brothers  should 
not  obtain  in  advance  even  a  hint,  much  less  any  knowl- 
edge, of  what  was  contemplated.     The  weakness  of  the 


172  Memories  of  Brown 

treasury  of  the  United  Brothers  society  seemed  to  offer 
an  opportunity  for  an  approach  to  a  consideration  of  the 
respective  merits  of  the  two  societies  that  would  not  fail 
to  make  an  impression  upon  the  freshmen.  As  has  been 
stated,  there  was  an  old  agreement  that  the  expenses  of 
the  commencement  celebrations,  held  by  the  two  societies, 
should  be  met  jointly.  For  some  time,  however,  the 
Brothers  had  failed  to  pay  their  share  of  this  indebted- 
ness, and  the  Philermenians  had  been  compelled  to  meet 
the  entire  expense.  All  calls  upon  the  Brothers  in  con- 
sequence of  this  failure  on  their  part  were  unavailing. 
The  treasury  of  the  society  was  empty,  and  any  hope  of 
extinguishing  the  debt  seemed  to  have  no  foundation 
whatever.  A  committee  was  now  appointed  by  the  Philer- 
menians to  bring  the  matter  of  this  indebtedness  to  the 
attention  of  the  Brothers,  and  the  time  selected  for  the 
presentation  of  the  bill  was  one  of  the  meetings  which  the 
Brothers  were  holding  for  the  purpose  of  impressing  the 
freshmen  with  the  high  standing  of  their  organization. 

Two  of  the  sons  of  Dr.  Adoniram  Judson,  the  distin- 
guished missionary,  were  members  of  the  senior  class,  and 
both,  I  think,  were  members  of  the  Philermenian  society. 
The  younger  of  these  brothers,  Elnathan  Judson,  win- 
some, exceedingly  companionable,  and  in  every  way  a 
delightful  fellow, —  whose  early  promise,  alas,  was  blighted 
by  an  incurable,  lingering  disease  —  was  made  chairman 
of  the  committee.  Judson  had  somewhat  of  the  grace  of 
public  address  which  characterizes  his  younger  brother 
Edward,  the  eloquent  New  York  preacher;  also  the  same 
large  appreciation  of  the  funny  side  of  things  ;  and  the  bill 
of  the  Philermenians  against  the  Brothers  was  drawn  up 
by  him  upon  sheets  of  paper  pasted  together  so  as  to  form 
a  continuous  strip  ten  or  twelve  feet  long. 

Several  weeks  after  the  opening  of  the  term,  when  elec- 
tioneering  on   the   part   of   the  two  societies  was  at  its 


Memories  of  Brow?i  1 73 

height,  and  the  Brothers  were  holding  a  meeting  to  which 
by  much  personal  effort  they  had  attracted  a  large  num- 
ber of  freshmen,  the  committee  appointed  by  the  Philer- 
menians  appeared  at  the  Brothers'  hall.  A  goodly  num- 
ber of  Philermcnians  followed  the  committee  up  the  stair- 
case, and  were  in  waiting  outside  in  order  to  render  any 
needed  assistance.  The  meeting  of  the  Brothers  was  in 
full  swing,  and  the  debaters  were  giving  a  display  of  ora- 
tory which  evidently  was  making  a  very  favorable  im- 
pression upon  the  freshmen. 

"  Mr.  President :  A  committee  from  the  Philermenian 
Society!"  announced  Judson,  as  he  and  his  associates  on 
the  committee  entered  the  hall. 

The  debate  was  suspended  by  the  announcement,  and 
the  presiding  officer — I  think  it  was  "Tim"  Bancroft,  but 
I  am  not  sure,  so  many  years  have  passed  since  the  inci- 
dent—  apparently  suspecting  some  unwelcome  intrusion 
on  the  part  of  the  Brothers'  rivals,  rose  and  asked  the  pur- 
port of  the  communication  the  committee  desired  to  make. 

"We  have  here,  Mr.  President,"  said  Judson,  "a  bill 
which  the  Brothers  owe  to  the  Philerraenians,"and  he  be- 
gan to  unroll  the  manuscript  account,  which  was  soon  and 
impressively  displayed  in  its  full  length. 

With  persuasive  voice  and  words,  Judson  was  proceed- 
ing to  mention  the  items  of  the  bill,  and  to  give  some  ac- 
count of  its  history,  when  one  of  the  Brothers  rose  and 
said: 

"  Mr.  President,  the  gentleman  is  out  of  order!  This 
is  an  interruption  of  our  debate  !   I  call  for  order!  " 

The  president  rapped  loudly  with  his  gavel,  Judson 
meanwhile  endeavoring  to  add  to  the  statement  he  had 
made  concerning  the  debt,  and  apologizing  for  the  seem- 
ing intrusion,  but  asserting  the  necessity  of  having  some 
attention  on  the  part  of  the  Brothers  to  this  matter  of  long 
standing. 


174 


Mi 


em  ones  o 


o/B 


rown 


"  The  gentleman  is  out  of  order,"  shouted  the  president, 
"entirely  out  of  order;"  and  he  continued  to  rap  loudly 
with  his  gavel. 

The  expected  impression  upon  the  freshmen  had  al- 
ready been  made.  They  had  not  received  much  informa- 
tion concerning  the  debt,  it  is  true,  but  the  length  of  the 
manuscript  exhibited  by  Judson,  on  which  the  bill  against 
the  Brothers  was  recorded,  indicated  that  it  was  no  small 
affair.  With  apparent  reluctance,  and  somewhat  of  an 
injured  air,  the  committee  from  the  Philermenian  society 
now  withdrew,  and  tlie  Brothers  took  up  the  debate  at  the 
point  at  which  it  was  interrupted ;  but  manifestly  the  cli- 
max of  interest  for  the  evening  had  been  reached,  and  the 
orators,  eloquent  as  they  were,  could  not  bring  the 
astounded  freshmen  back  to  the  considerations  before 
them  when  Judson  and  his  associates  made  their  appear- 
ance. 

Both  societies  long  ago  reached  the  point  of  dissolution, 
an  unfortunate  affair,  as  I  think,  in  the  history  of  the  col- 
lege. There  are  things  that  a  student  may  without  hesi- 
tation leave  out  of  his  college  course,  and  still  well  equip 
himself  for  the  work  of  life  as  a  citizen  of  this  great  re- 
public ;  but  he  should  hold  fast  to  whatever  will  help  him 
to  think  and  talk  on  his  feet  with  ease  and  forcefulness. 

Henry  S.  Btcrrage,  1861. 


Memories  oj  Brow?i  175 


The  College  During  the  Civil  War 


MY  only  college  diary — it  was  written  in  my 
senior  year — opens  with  these  words:  "  Brown 
University,  January  i,  1861."  From  that  date 
to  July  3,  186 1,  when  the  college  year  closed, 
the  record  covers  one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  pages, 
mostly  devoted  to  events  connected  with  the  outbreak 
of  the  Civil  War.  These  pages  reveal  the  intense  inter- 
est with  reference  to  public  affairs  which  prevailed  among 
the  young  men  of  the  college,  and  especially  those  who 
were  about  to  graduate.  On  the  first  page  of  the  diary 
I  find  these  words:  "  It  promises  to  be  an  eventful  year. 
Our  country,  a  few  months  since  prosperous,  happy, 
united,  seems  today  almost  on  the  brink  of  destruction. 
The  government  maintains  a  masterly  inactivity.  The 
people  no  longer  have  confidence  in  it — indeed  it  seems 
to  have  no  confidence  in  itself.  One  member  of  the 
cabinet  after  another  is  retiring,  and  the  old  public  func- 
tionary, yet  more  lachrymose  than  ever,  stands  almost 
friendless  and  alone  amid  the  ruins  of  his  administration. 
.  .  .  Whatever  may  be  the  issue,  whether  these  states 
remain  united,  one  family,  or  whether  they  be  rent  with 
civil  feuds,  God  speed  the  right." 

These  words  expressed  not  only  my  own  thoughts  at 
the  opening  of  the  eventful  year  to  which  they  carry  us 
back,  but  they  expressed,  I  am  confident,  the  thoughts  of 
the  great  body  of  my  associates  in  the  college.  There 
was  on  the  part  of  these  young  men  a  clear  apprehension 
of  the  fact  that  we  were  standing  on  the  threshold  of  an 


76  Memories  of  B. 


rown 


important  epoch  in  our  history  as  a  nation.  The 
columns  of  the  daily  papers  were  watched  with  unwonted 
interest.  Something  new  and  even  startling  was  almost 
sure  to  appear  with  each  added  day. 

Almost  at  the  opening  of  the  new  year  came  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  seizure  of  Fort  Sumter  in  Charleston 
harbor  by  Major  Anderson.  January  8,  one  hundred 
guns  were  fired  in  Providence  in  approval  of  this  action 
— the  first  of  the  many  guns  we  were  to  hear  during  the 
four  battle-years  that  followed.  The  formation  of  a  South- 
ern Confederacy,  with  Jefferson  Davis  as  president,  was 
announced  early  in  February.  Then  came  the  inaugura- 
tion of  President  Lincoln,  March  4,  and  that  most  impor- 
tant state  paper,  the  inaugural  address.  John  Hay,  class  of 
1858,  was  one  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  private  secretaries.  When 
he  was  graduated  he  left  at  Brown  the  reputation  of  a 
brilliant  writer.  His  class  poem  on  "The  Power  of 
Song"  made  class  day,  1858,  memorable.  Mr.  Lincoln 
came  to  Washington  with  a  reputation.  East  as  well  as 
West,  for  strength  in  political  debate,  but  it  was  not 
known  that  he  was  a  felicitous  writer  as  well.  When  the 
students  at  Brown  read  the  closing  sentence  of  the  in- 
augural address — "  The  mystic  chords  of  memory,  stretch- 
ing from  every  battlefield  and  patriot  grave  to  every  liv- 
ing heart  and  hearthstone  all  over  this  broad  land,  will 
yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union,  when  again  touched, 
as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better  angels  of  our  nature  " 
— they  recognized  at  once  the  touch  of  the  hand  of  the 
private  secretary  of  the  president,  and  said,  "  We  know 
who  wrote  that;  John  Hay." 

The  attack  on  Fort  Sumter,  April  12,  was  the  event 
which  fired  the  hearts  of  the  students,  as  indeed  it  did  the 
hearts  of  the  people  throughout  the  North.  The  attack 
was  commenced  in  the  early  morning,  but  it  was  not 
known  in  Providence  until  the  day  drew  to  a  close.     The 


Memories  of  Brown  '77 

telegrams  of  that  evening  were  confirmed  the  following 
morning  and  the  excitement,  everywhere  visible,  was  great- 
ly intensified  when  it  was  known  that  Governor  Sprague 
had  telegraphed  to  President  Lincoln  tendering  his  ser- 
vices to  the  government,  also  those  of  the  Marine  Artil- 
lery and  a  regiment  of  infantry.  Professor  Gammell,  at 
the  senior  recitation  in  history  that  morning,  said  that 
the  firing  of  the  Confederates  on  Fort  Sumter  was  with- 
out a  parallel.  "  It  looks  as  though  our  flag  must  go 
down,"  he  said,  "  but,  young  men,  if  it  does,  it  must  go  up 
again,  and  that,  too,  at  whatever  cost."  How,  without  re- 
buke on  the  part  of  the  professor,  the  dust  was  raised  by 
the  boys  of  the  class  of  '6i  in  that  old  recitation  room  in 
University  Hall  as  those  words,  calmly,  yet  forcefully, 
were  uttered ! 

On  Monday,  April  15,  came  Mr.  Lincoln's  call  for 
75,000  men.  Among  the  first  to  respond  were  some  of 
the  students  of  the  college.  All  desired  in  some  way  to 
give  expression  to  the  patriotic  feelings  which  had  been 
awakened  by  the  threatening  attitude  and  acts  of  the 
Confederates.  An  opportunity  was  soon  found.  After 
our  morning  recitation  on  that  day  the  seniors  held  a 
meeting,  and  appointed  a  committee  to  wait  on  President 
Sears  and  ask  permission  to  raise  the  stars  and  stripes 
over  University  Hall.  One  of  the  members  of  the  class 
was  from  Mississippi.  His  was  the  solitary  voice  raised 
against  the  proposed  action.  He  had  a  word  to  say  in 
favor  even  of  the  Confederate  flag.  Having  recorded  his 
vote  he  seceded  and  at  length  found  his  way  back  to 
Mississippi,  where  he  entered  the  Confederate  army  and 
died  in  1862. 

The  consent  of  President  Sears  to  the  flag-raising  was 
readily  secured.  A  flag-staff  on  University  Hall  was 
soon  in  place,  a  large  flag  was  purchased,  and  on  the 
afternoon  of  Wednesday,  April  17,  our  beautiful  national 


1 78  Memories  of  Brown 

emblem  was  unfurled  in  the  presence  of  the  faculty,  stu- 
dents and  a  large  crowd  of  citizens,  who  flocked  to  the 
campus  to  participate  in  services  connected  with  the  great 
uprising  then  in  progress  throughout  the  North.  Presi- 
dent Sears,  Bishop  Clark,  Rev.  Dr.  Edward  B.  Hall,  Rev. 
Dr.  S.  L.  Caldwell  and  ex-Governor  Elisha  Dyer  made 
ringing  addresses  from  the  steps  of  Manning  Hall.  All 
hearts  were  thrilled  by  the  eloquent  words  of  the  speak- 
ers. When  President  Sears  expressed  the  hope  that  the 
young  men  of  the  college,  who  were  there  to  learn — to 
learn  to  be  patriots,  he  would  hope — and  had  everything 
at  stake  in  this  crisis,  should  show  that  they  appreciated 
the  blessings  they  had  inherited  from  a  brave  and  noble 
ancestry,  there  were  few  whose  hearts  were  not  flooded 
with  unwonted  emotions.  The  significance  of  fast-ripen- 
ing events  was  rightly  estimated.  The  gravity  of  the  sit- 
uation was  not  overlooked.  But  there  was  no  appeal — 
there  was  no  need  of  anything  of  the  kind.  The  young 
men  grouped  around  the  chapel  steps  were  ready  for  any 
duty  which  the  unfolding  future  should  make  known  to 
them.  In  my  diary  that  day,  referring  to  the  flag-raising, 
I  wrote,  "  It  is  the  proudest  day  I  have  known  in  col- 
lege." It  would  be  difficult  to  give  full  expression  to  the 
meaning  of  these  words.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that 
boys  became  men  under  the  inspiration  of  the  words  then 
and  there  spoken  and  were  influenced  henceforth  by 
stronger  convictions  with  reference  to  life  and  duty. 

Already  it  was  reported  that  more  volunteers  had  of- 
fered their  services  to  the  government  than  were  needed. 
The  organization  and  drilling  of  the  First  Rhode  Island 
Regiment  was  in  progress.  The  Marine  Artillery  left 
Providence  for  Washington  April  i8,  and  the  first  de- 
tachment of  the  First  Rhode  Island  followed  April  20. 
That  morning  Professor  Gammell  dismissed  the  senior 
class  without  hearing  the  recitation  for  the  day.     He  rec- 


Memories  of  Brown  1 79 

ognized  the  fact  that  our  books  had  little  interest  for  us 
at  such  a  time.  Early  in  the  afternoon  the  troops  were 
drawn  up  in  Exchange  place  and  Bishop  Clark  addressed 
them  in  reference  to  their  departure  for  the  seat  of  war. 
When  he  closed  his  address  there  were  few  tearless  eyes 
in  the  vast  throng  which  the  farewell  had  brought  to- 
gether. After  a  fervent  prayer  came  the  march  to  Fox 
Point,  the  embarkation,  the  casting  off  of  the  lines,  and 
then  the  steamer  started  down  the  bay.  Already  we 
were  beginning  to  understand  something  of  the  meaning 
of  war. 

The  second  detachment  of  the  First  Rhode  Island  fol- 
lowed April  24,  completing  the  regiment's  roster.  The 
line  was  formed  in  Exchange  place  in  the  afternoon,  and 
Dr.  Wayland  addressed  the  troops.  The  impressive 
scenes  of  the  22d  were  re-enacted,  not  only  during  the  ad- 
dress but  on  the  march  to  Fox  Point,  as  we  said  farewell 
to  classmates  and  college  friends  who  left  for  the  front 
with  this  detachment. 

Letters  soon  began  to  come  from  our  brothers  in  the 
field,  and  we  were  kept  in  close  touch  with  e\'ents  in 
Washington  and  vicinity,  where  the  troops  were  quar- 
tered. Our  thoughts  were  with  them  rather  than  with 
our  textbooks.  There  was  one  textbook,  however, 
which  received  considerable  attention  from  the  seniors, 
namely  Woolsey  on  International  Law,  then  just  pub- 
lished, and  which  Professor  Gammell  wisely  adopted  be- 
cause of  its  present  interest.  Almost  daily  it  brought  be- 
fore us  questions  of  vital  importance  in  connection  with 
passing  events,  and  the  lessons  afforded  the  professor 
many  a  text  for  interesting  and  instructive  remarks. 

A  military  company  was  organized  in  the  college  in 
May,  and  many  of  the  students  availed  themselves  of  the 
opportunity  for  becoming  familiar  with  the  school  of  the 
soldier.     On  class  day,  June  13,  this  company,  known  as 


180  Memories  of  Brown 

the  University  Cadets,  had  its  first  parade  and  was  re- 
viewed at  Camp  Burnside  by  Colonel  Slocum  of  the  Sec- 
ond Rhode  Island.  At  the  class  day  exercises  in  the 
chapel  that  forenoon  neither  the  orator  nor  the  poet  for- 
got that  the  country  was  about  to  experience  the  shock 
of  arms.  We  knew  that  our  classmates  in  the  army 
might  at  any  time  find  themselves  in  the  struggle  and 
stress  of  civil  war.  Indeed,  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
July  21,  Jenckes  of  the  senior  class  and  a  private  in  the 
First  Rhode  Island  was  wounded  and  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  enemy.  The  other  members  of  the  class  who  were 
in  the  First  Rhode  Island — DeWolf,  Hoppin  and  Sack- 
ett — returned  to  Providence  with  the  regiment  at  the  ex- 
piration of  its  period  of  service,  were  present  at  the  grad- 
uating exercises  which  occurred  September  4,  and  re- 
ceived their  diplomas  with  their  classmates,  their  patriot- 
ism counting  for  the  studies  they  were  compelled  to  aban- 
don by  reason  of  their  army  service.  Only  Jenckes,  who 
was  a  prisoner,  and  Rogers,  who  was  serving  as  a  first 
lieutenant  in  the  Seventh  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  were 
absent. 

At  the  commencement  dinner  on  that  day.  President 
Sears  called  attention  to  the  great  calamity  that  had  be- 
fallen the  country.  How  his  words  thrilled  his  hearers 
as  he  referred  to  the  sons  of  the  college  already  in  the 
army,  and  added,  "  May  our  Alma  Mater  always  have 
brave  sons,  ready  to  meet  all  the  demands  of  patriotism  ! " 
Dr.  Wayland  added  to  the  impression  which  President 
Sears's  words  had  made  upon  all.  The  college,  he  said, 
had  sent  its  first  fruits.  Others  must  follow.  The  mas- 
sive frame  of  the  venerable  ex-president  was  swayed  with 
deep  emotion  as  he  added,  "  If  these  strong  hands  can 
sustain  the  stars  and  stripes,  if  these  breasts  can  form  a 
rampart  to  put  far  away  the  wickedness  of  slavery  (slav- 
ery, slavery,  what  man  was  born   to  be  a  slave!),  let    us 


ff    UNIVERSITY   j 

Memories  of  Brown  181 

form  an  impregnable  barrier  against  the  waves  of  sedi- 
tion, of  the  most  infamous  conspiracy  ever  known,  and 
let  us  say, '  Thus  far  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  farther  ! '  " 
As  Dr.  Wayland  uttered  these  burning  words  he  lifted 
those  "strong  hands"  and,  crossing  his  arms  and  beating 
them  upon  his  breast,  he  stood  before  us  the  very  em- 
bodiment of  the  words  that  fell  from  his  agitated  lips. 
There  had  been  no  doubt  before  where  Brown  would 
stand  in  the  great  conflict  which  the  South  invoked;  but 
if  anything  was  needed  to  awaken  a  deeper  feeling  of 
patriotic  devotion  in  that  hour  of  the  country's  need,  it 
must  certainly  have  been  found  in  those  two  addresses. 

The  scenes  of  April,  1861,  were  re-enacted  in  the  college 
when  at  midnight.  May  23,  1862,  tidings  were  received  of 
the  defeat  of  General  Banks,  and  also  of  a  call  for  added 
troops.  It  was  a  hurry  call,  and  at  seven  o'clock  the  next 
morning  six  hundred  and  thirteen  men  of  the  National 
Guard  in  Rhode  Island  had  reported  for  duty.  On  the 
following  day  the  regiment,  known  as  the  Tenth  Rhode 
Island,  left  for  Washington.  Company  B  of  the  regiment 
was  recruited  almost  wholly  from  the  students  of  the  col- 
lege, who  w^ent  to  the  front  under  the  command  of  ex- 
Governor  Elisha  Dyer,  a  son  of  the  college,  who  although 
no  longer  a  young  man  was  full  of  the  spirit  of  patriot- 
ism and  furnished  a  shining  example  at  a  critical  period 
of  the  war.  The  regiment  was  mustered  out  September 
I,  but  many  of  its  student  members  re-entered  the  service 
as  commissioned  ofificers,  and  had  an  honorable  record  on 
many  of  the  great  battlefields  of  the  conflict. 

When  class  day  came,  the  orator  returned  from  Vir- 
ginia on  a  furlough  in  order  that  he  might  address  his 
classmates;  while  at  commencement  the  valedictorian, 
who  had  just  entered  the  service  for  three  years  or  the 
war,  delivered  his  oration  in  the  uniform  of  a  captain  of 
infantry.     Among  the  guests  at  the  commencement  din- 


1 82  Memories  of  Brown 

ner  were  the  governors  of  the  six  New  England  states. 
Many  years  after  the  war  I  learned  from  one  of  them — 
Governor  Israel  Washburn  of  Maine — that  this  was  no 
chance  meeting  on  the  part  of  the  New  England  gover- 
nors, but  they  came  together  at  the  request  of  President 
Lincoln  in  order  to  avail  themselves  of  the  opportunity 
which  commencement  afforded  for  a  consultation  on  pub- 
lic matters  without  attracting  public  attention. 

The  year  that  followed  was  a  hard  one  for  study  on  the 
part  of  the  students  who  could  but  follow  the  fortunes  of 
the  country,  dark  at  times,  but  wonderfully  bright  after 
the  tidings  from  Vicksburg  and  Gettysburg,  just  as  the 
college  year  closed.  One  of  the  speakers  at  the  com- 
mencement dinner  in  1863  was  General  John  M.  Thayer, 
of  the  class  of  1841.  General  Thayer  had  served  under 
General  Grant  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  and  he  eloquent- 
ly eulogized  his  chief  as  one  who  would  accomplish  what- 
ever he  undertook,  a  prophecy  that  was  abundantly  veri- 
fied before  the  war  came  to  an  end. 

From  the  summer  of  1862  until  the  close  of  the  war  I 
saw  more  Brown  men  in  the  army  at  the  front  than  on 
the  campus  at  Providence.  After  the  close  of  the  Vicks- 
burg campaign,  however,  a  leave  of  absence  enabled  me 
to  attend  the  commencement  exercises  in  1863,  while  a 
wound  received  at  Cold  Harbor,  June  3,  1864,  detained 
me  at  home  long  enough  to  allow  me  to  be  present  at 
commencement  on  September  6.  The  centennial  of  the 
college  was  observed  that  day.  Goldwin  Smith,  a  guest 
representing  the  University  of  Oxford,  was  one  of  the 
speakers  at  the  dinner.  In  his  address  he  endeavored  to 
correct  an  impression  that  England  as  a  nation  was  ani- 
mated by  hostile  feelings  towards  this  country.  Chief 
Justice  Salmon  P.  Chase  followed  him  and  criticised  the 
course  of  England  during  the  war.  "  We  hope  for  better 
days,"  he  said.     "  We  look  for  the  time   when    England 


Memories  of  Brown  183 

will  see  that  she  consults  neither  her  true  interest  nor  her 
true  honor  when  she  indulges  unfraternal  sentiments  to- 
wards America."  Mr.  Chase  expressed  his  joy  that  there 
were  illustrious  men  in  England  who  dared  rebuke  such 
sentiments,  and  mentioned  as  one  of  them  the  honorable 
gentleman  who  had  just  spoken.  General  Burnside  was 
present  and  had  an  enthusiastic  reception  as  he  re- 
sponded to  a  call  from  the  president  of  the  university. 
But  it  was  reserved  for  George  William  Curtis  to  stir  the 
deepest  feelings  of  the  alumni  and  friends  of  the  college 
as  he  asserted  the  duty  of  the  scholar  to  the  government 
under  which  he  lives. 

Seven  months  passed  and  the  beginning  of  the  end  came 
with  the  surrender  of  Lee's  army  at  Appomattox.  No- 
where was  the  enthusiasm  of  the  hour  stronger  than  in 
the  college.  The  students  joined  in  the  general  jubila- 
tion, and  then  had  a  bonfire  of  their  own  on  the  college 
campus.  This  was  followed  by  a  more  elaborate  demon- 
stration on  the  evening  of  April  13,  when  the  college 
buildings  were  illuminated  and  there  were  congratulatory 
addresses  by  President  Sears  and  others.  A  few  days 
passed  and  all  this  joy  was  turned  to  sorrow  at  the  tidings 
of  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln.  The  emblems 
of  victory  now  gave  place  to  the  emblems  of  mourning. 
There  was  one  man  to  whom  all  in  Providence  looked  in 
this  hour  of  national  grief — Dr.  Wayland.  Toward  his 
house  the  people  moved  as  by  an  irresistible  impulse. 
The  students  joined  them.  When  they  reached  the 
house  and  Dr.  Wayland  understood  why  they  had  come, 
he  went  forth  to  address  them.  Professor  George  L 
Chace  has  left  us  a  very  vivid  sketch  of  the  scene:  "That 
hair  playing  in  the  breeze  has  been  whitened  by  the 
snows  of  seventy  winters.  That  venerable  form  is  pressed 
by  their  accumulated  weight.  The  glorious  intellectual 
power  which  sat  upon  those  features  is  veiled  beneath  the 


184  Memories  of  Brown 


softer  lines  of  moral  grace  and  beauty.  It  is  not  now  the 
Athenian  orator,  but  one  of  the  old  prophets,  from  whose 
touched  lips  flow  forth  the  teachings  of  inspired  wisdom. 
The  dead  first  claims  his  thought.  He  recounts  most  ap- 
preciatively Lincoln's  great  services  and  dwells  with  loving 
eulogy  upon  his  unswerving  patriotism  and  his  high  civic 
virtues.  Next,  the  duties  of  the  living  and  the  lessons  of 
the  hour  occupy  attention.  Then  come  words  of  devout 
thanksgiving,  of  holy  trust,  of  sublime  faith,  uttered  as  he 
only  ever  uttered  them.  They  fall  upon  that  waiting  as- 
sembly like  a  blessed  benefaction,  assuaging  grief,  dispel- 
ling gloom  and  kindling  worship  in  every  bosom.  God  is 
no  longer  at  a  distance,  but  all  around  and  within  them. 
They  go  away  strengthened  and  comforted." 

At  the  commencement  that  followed.  Professor 
Angell  in  eloquent  w^ords  welcomed  the  sons  of  the  col- 
lege who  had  served  in  the  army  or  navy  during  the  war. 
It  was  almost  like  a  roll-call  of  the  professor's  former 
pupils  as  the  names  came  tripping  from  his  lips.  Some 
were  not  there  to  respond,  indeed  they  would  never  re- 
turn to  these  once  familiar  and  fondly  cherished  scenes 
to  renew  the  delightful  associations  of  other  days.  A 
memorial  tablet  recording  their  names  was  erected  in 
Manning  Hall  not  long  afterward  —  a  fitting  testimonial 
of  the  undying  affection  in  which  the  college  holds  those 
who  laid  down  their  lives  for  their  country  in  the  Civil 
War. 

Henry  S.  Bic forage,  1861. 


Memories  of  Brown 


185 


The  Origin  of  ''Alma  Mater" 


HEN  I  was  in  college  the  only 
literary  publication  undertaken  by 
the  students  was  a  small  folio 
issued  annually,  called  the  "  Brown 
Paper,"  conducted  by  the  secret, 
or  Greek-letter  societies,  and 
containing  lists  of  their  members, 
items  of  college  news  and  edi- 
torial matter.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  college  year  each  society 
elected  an  editor  from  the  senior 
class,  and  in  the  autumn  of  i860  I 
was  thus  honored  by  my  fraternity,  the  Psi  Upsilon. 

It  was  rumored  that  I  had  been  guilty  of  some  attempts 
at  poetasting,  and  when  the  editors  met  for  conference 
and  to  decide  upon  the  work  to  be  allotted  to  each,  I  was 
urged  to  contribute  some  poetry.  Moreover,  it  being 
represented  that  there  was  a  generally  felt  want  of  songs 
distinctively  pertaining  to  Brown,  it  was  agreed  that  a 
college  song  would  be  the  most  acceptable  form  of  rhyme. 
I  accordingly  undertook  the  task. 

I  felt  that  it  would  be  useless  to  hope  for  popularity  and 
currency  for  anything  that  I  might  write  unless  I  adapted 
it  to  some  well-known  air,  and  I  therefore  gave  consider- 
able thought  to  the  selection  of  such  an  air. 

At  that  time  there  was  no  organized  glee  club  at  Brown, 
but  some  of  the  students  who  were  musically  inclined 
were  in  the  habit  of  meeting  occasionally  of  an  evening 


1 86  Memories  of  Brown 

on  the  chapel  steps  and  joining  in  choruses  of  various 
sorts.  One  of  these,  which  was  frequently  sung,  was 
"  Araby's  Daughter,"  and  I  had  often  been  struck  with  its 
sonorous  swing  and  the  fine  harmony  of  its  chords,  and  it 
appeared  to  me  that  the  metre  of  this  song  was  well  suited 
to  the  sentiment  of  the  verses  which  I  proposed  to  write; 
so  I  finally  selected  it  for  my  purpose. 

The  song  was  originally  entitled  "  Old  Brown,"  and 
when  published  it  gained  some  favorable  comments  as  a 
composition,  but  to  my  disappointment  failed  entirely  to 
be  taken  up  as  a  college  song,  and  was,  as  I  supposed, 
consigned  to  oblivion. 

Years  afterwards,  some  one  sent  me  a  programme  of  a 
concert  given  by  the  Brown  glee  club  in  Providence,  in 
which  this  song,  called  "Alma  Mater,"  appeared  as  the 
concluding  number,  and  I  subsequently  learned  that  it 
had  been  adopted  as  the  song  of  Brown. 

How  it  came  to  be  resurrected  I  never  knew,  but  con- 
cluded that  some  member  of  the  glee  club  had  stumbled 
upon  it  in  rummaging  over  old  files  of  the  "  Brown  Paper." 

I  need  not  say  that  it  has  been  very  gratifying  to  me 
that  the  verses  in  which  I  endeavored  to  express  the  senti- 
ments animating  the  loyal  sons  of  Brown  in  1 860-61  have 
been  appreciated  and  deemed  worthy  of  adoption  by  their 
successors,  and  it  is  pleasant  to  think  that  the  "  offering 
of  praise"  long  ago  laid  upon  the  altar  of  Alma  Mater  is 
still  daily  renewed  by  her  no  less  loyal  sons  of  a  later  day. 

James  A.  DcWolJ  1S61. 


Memories  of  Brown  187 


Random   Recollections  of  1861 


I  REMEMBER  that  in  some  recitation  on  mathe- 
matics under  Professor  Caswell  a  number  of  students 
had  "  flunked,"  all  answering,  when  called  upon, 
"  Not  prepared."  At  each  successive  answer  the 
gloom  deepened  on  our  teacher's  face.  Finally  he  called 
"  Caswell,"  (his  son).  Tom  felt  impelled  by  the  strange 
code  of  student  ethics  to  be  unprepared  where  his  class- 
mates had  failed,  so  he  too  answered,  "  Not  prepared." 

Thereupon  the  dignified  teacher  dropped  the  profes- 
sorial attitude  and,  assuming  the  parental  tone,  said, 
"Thomas!  Go  to  the  blackboard  and  draw  that  dia- 
gram."    And  thereupon  Thomas  did  it ! 

Many  well  remember  that  Professor  Caswell's  experi- 
ments did  not  always  succeed.  He  would  then  pass  to 
the  next  subject  with  the  remark,  "  Never  mind,  gentle- 
men, the  principle  remains  true  all  the  same."  It  was  dif- 
ferent with  Professor  Chace's  experiments.  They  never 
failed,  because,  as  I  know  from  my  having  often  gone 
through  them  with  him,  he  always  rehearsed  them  before 
his  lectures.  It  was  the  custom  then  to  review  the  last 
lecture  before  going  on  with  a  new  subject.  About  half 
an  hour  would  be  thus  spent  in  recitation  and  then  a  bevy 
of  girls  would  file  in  from  the  high  school  and  hear  the 
lecture  with  us  to  the  distraction  of  attention  on  the  part 
of  both  sets  of  listeners. 

Among  our  teachers  who  were  gifted  with  power  to 
impart  information  to  their  students  I  remember  well  Pro- 
fessor Greene,  irreverently  called  "  Betsey."  It  was  a 
pleasure  to  be  under  him  in  any  mathematical  study.  I 
must  qualify  this,  however,  when   I  recall  the  names  of 


188  .    Memories  of  Brow?t 

some  of  those  to  whom  such  studies  were  a  burden,  no 
matter  by  whom  taught. 

I  had  the  excellent  excuse  of  living  two  miles  away 
from  college,  "  out  of  town,"  as  it  was  then  considered, 
when  we  had  not  even  an  omnibus  running  to  town,  and  I 
was  excused  from  attendance  at  chapel.  I  remember  my 
surprise  at  the  frank  avowal  of  some  fellow-students  that 
they  attended  the  First  Baptist  Church  because  they 
thought  it  had  a  good  effect  upon  their  college  standing. 

The  chemical  laboratory  was  then  in  the  basement  of 
Rhode  Island  Hall.  The  hot-air  furnace  was  in  the 
middle  of  the  laboratory,  and  pipes  running  through  the 
room  carried  heated  air  to  the  lecture  rooms  above.  Well 
do  I  remember  the  speed  with  which  Professor  Chace  and 
his  class  alike  hastened  forth  when  a  dense  cloud  of  vile 
smelling  sulphureted  hydrogen  gas  came  pouring  out  of 
the  registers  in  their  lecture  room!  I  wonder  now,  when 
I  meet  a  certain  white-haired  business  man  on  the  street, 
whether  he  remembers  when  he  mixed  the  necessary  in- 
gredients, and  opening  the  door  into  the  hot-air  chamber, 
shoved  the  vessel  containing  them  inside,  where  the  heat 
of  the  furnace  soon  stimulated  the  chemical  reaction  that 
drove  us  forth  above !  Well  may  he  remember  it,  for,  if 
my  memory  serves  me,  he  was  rusticated  for  it. 

One  day  several  of  us  went  to  hear  a  speech  in  Rail- 
road Hall,  over  the  station  on  Exchange  place.  Little 
did  any  of  us  imagine  that  in  the  long,  gaunt  form 
then  addressing  us  we  saw  the  immortal  future  president 
of  the  United  States,  who  was  to  free  the  slaves  and  save 
the  Union.  I  must  confess  that  I  was  unfavorably  im- 
pressed by  his  manner.  It  was  grotesque  and  uncouth. 
He  made  faces  at  the  audience  and  set  them  laughing. 
He  was  interrupted  by  a  man  in  the  audience  who  asked 
questions  not  always  pertinent.  The  audience  hooted 
and  hissed,  trying  to  shut  the  man  off,  but  Lincoln  showed 


Memories  oj  Brown  189 

his  skill  by  asking  for  fair  ^r.y  for  him,  and  during  the 
rest  of  his  speech  he  would  occasionally  address  himself 
to  this  particular  man. 

While  I  was  in  college,  the  Putnam  Phalanx  of  Hart- 
ford, that  famous  corps,  made  a  visit  to  Providence  and 
among  the  sights  of  the  town  they  were  shown  Brown 
University.  All  would  have  gone  well  there,  had  not 
someone  unversed  in  college  students'  ways  provided 
poHcemen  to  keep  order  on  the  campus.  As  soon  as  these 
policemen  entered  the  college  grounds,  trouble  began. 
Each  hoot  and  yell  from  the  students  brought  out  more 
students  to  add  increased  volume  to  the  vociferous  disap- 
proval of  the  presence  of  the  policemen,  some  of  whom 
w'ere  roughly  handled.  The  row  was  only  ended  by  with- 
drawing the  policemen  from  the  college  premises. 
Aroused  to  indignation  and  elated  by  success,  the  stu- 
dents now  became  discourteous  to  the  visitors,  the  Put- 
nam Phalanx.  They  marched  into  Manning  Hall  through 
a  lane  of  students,  all  shouting  in  unison  and  in  time  with 
the  step  of  the  Phalanx:  "Left  —  left  —  left  her  far  be- 
hind you — Right  —  right  —  right  over  yonder."  I  can 
see  now  the  comical  aspect  of  the  hurrying  last  little 
soldier  in  his  Continental  uniform  as  he  brought  up  the 
rear  before  the  students  closed  in  on  him. 

Why  is  it  that  the  ludicrous  little  nothings  from  our 
early  days  leave  such  vivid  impressions  on  our  minds, 
while  we  forget  beyond  recall  many  of  the  great  events 
we  would  fain  remember.^ 

These  brief  recollections  are  but  trifles  light  as  air,  but, 
though  not  to  be  found  in  grave  histories,  what  would  we 
not  give  for  such  unconsidered  trifles  yielding  similar  de- 
tails of  university  life  during  the  middle  ages  !  And  so  the 
time  may  come  when  to  some  distant  generation  these 
trifling  incidents  may  serve  to  illustrate  the  university  life 
of  an  extinct  age.  At7tasa  M.  Eaton,  1861. 


190  Memories  of  B 


rown 


Memories  Light  and  Tender 


TOWN  AND  GOWN  are  closely  interwoven  in 
my  recollection  of  college  days.  Even  the  old 
time-stained  building  that  answered  the  purpose 
of  a  watch  house,  and  which  stood  on  the  corner 
of  College  and  Benefit  streets,  had  its  place  in  the  college 
life  of  those  days,  for  thither  occasionally  a  student  was 
conducted  who,  perhaps,  ventured  to  destroy  some  of  the 
old  oil  lamps  for  which  gas  had  been  substituted.  And 
then  comes  the  memory  of  the  night-watchman  w^ien  on 
a  stormy,  snowy  evening  he  issued  from  its  mysterious 
portals  so  enveloped  in  coats  and  mufiflers  that  only  his 
feet  were  visible,  and  not  infrequently  over  it  all  he  wore 
a  cape,  which  it  was  not  difficult  for  an  agile  student  to  lift 
and  drop  over  the  head  of  the  guardian  of  the  peace.  He 
carried  an  enormous  rattle,  and  when  he  sprung  it  under 
the  window%  and  from  the  depths  of  his  muffler  cried  firel 
fire !  fire !  the  startled  one  jumped  from  bed,  raised  the 
window  and  hurriedly  asked,  "  Where  is  the  fire  ? "  to 
which  might  come  the  answer, "  I  don't  know,  but  I  guess 
it's  down  toward  the  Tockwotton  House."  Why,  I  re- 
member two  fire  companies,  who,  coming  from  different 
directions,  met  near  my  window  one  evening  on  their  way 
to  a  fire  and  there  stopped  and  discussed  the  question, 
"  Where  is  the  fire .?  "  I  never  found  out  whether  they 
reached  the  fire  or  not,  and  perhaps  it  was  not  very  im- 
portant after  all  that  they  should,  for  if  the  building  was, 
even  for  those  days,  of  any  height,  though  the  brakes  of 
the  hand  engines  were  manned  by  students  and  citizens 


Memories  of  BrowTi  191 

as  well  as  firemen,  the  fire  had  to  burn  down  to  the  stream, 
since  the  stream  could  not  be  made  to  reach  up  to  the 
fire. 

College  hazing  was  indeed  a  brutal  performance,  and,  if 
I  remember  correctly,  in  its  severity  it  ended  with  our 
class.  We  hazed  the  freshmen,  and  the  next  day  Presi- 
dent Sears  summoned  us  one  by  one  before  him  and 
asked,  "Did  you  take  part  in  the  'smoking-out '  of  the 
freshmen  last  evening .f*"  If  the  reply  was  "  Yes,  sir," —  and 
that  was  the  almost  universal  answer, —  the  student  was 
suspended  from  further  college  connection.  One  fellow, 
the  present  surgeon-general  of  the  colony  of  Trinidad, 
British  West  Indies,  and  the  author  of  our  college  song, 
came  from  the  meeting  with  the  president  without  the 
sentence  being  pronounced  ;  he  felt  so  badly  that  he  went 
back  and  soon  re-appeared,  his  name  added  to  the  "  honor- 
roll."  We  thought  that  a  college  without  a  sophomore 
class  was  a  serious  matter  for  the  college  and  so  we  met 
in  "  Brothers'  Hall "  and  told  one  another  so  and  sent  a 
committee  to  intimate  the  same  fact  to  the  faculty.  The 
committee  soon  returned  and  announced  that  "  uncondi- 
tional surrender  "  was  the  reply  of  the  faculty.  Well,  we 
surrendered  and  were  restored.  The  day  after  the  restora- 
tion, Professor  Lincoln  was  informed  that  the  class  had 
returned  to  their  college  duties.  His  dry,  laconic  reply 
was:  "  Why,  so  soon  V  We  then  realized  that  the  college 
could  do  without  us;  a  tremendous  thought  for  a  sopho- 
more. 

Speaking  of  Professor  Lincoln,  we  all  remember  what 
a  charming,  graceful,  easy  speaker  he  was,  and  yet  I  recall 
when  presiding  at  a  dinner  of  the  New  York  alumni  some 
years  since,  Professor  Lincoln  being  on  my  right,  repre- 
senting the  college  in  the  absence  of  the  president,  that 
as  the  time  approached  for  the  speeches  he  was  suddenly 
seized  with  a  stage  fright,  and,  oblivious  of  those  around 


192  Memories  of  Brown 

him,  he  said  over  and  over  again  loud  enough  for  me  to 
hear,  "  I  shall  make  an  awful  failure."  Once  on  his  feet 
"  Richard  was  himself"  and  at  his  best. 

One  incident  in  the  history  of  secret  societies  in  Brown 
University  it  seems  should  be  recorded.  Sometime  sub- 
sequent to  the  Civil  War,  w'hen  President  Wayland  was 
in  office  and  the  late  Hon.  Samuel  G.  Arnold  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  corporation,  the  advisability  of  doing  away  with 
secret  societies  in  college  was  under  consideration.  Presi- 
dent Wayland  strongly  advocated  the  measure  of  aboli- 
tion, and,  as  is  well  known,  whatever  President  Wayland 
advocated  was  generally  adopted.  Governor  Arnold  was 
one  of  the  charter  members  of  Psi  Upsilon  in  Brown 
University,  and  to  the  end  of  his  life  an  enthusiastic  mem- 
ber of  that  organization.  He  strongly  and  unflinchingly 
defended  the  secret  societies,  then  five  or  six  in  number, 
frankly  opposing  the  views  of  President  Wayland.  The 
result  of  the  discussion  was  that  secret  societies  were  not 
done  away  with,  and,  although  the  mode  of  conducting 
them  may  have  been  modified,  they  are  today  an  import- 
ant factor  in  college  life.  The  whole  fraternity  system  at 
Brown  is  largely  due  to  the  character  and  manly  action  of 
Governor  Arnold. 

In  our  senior  year  came  the  rumor  of  war  and  calls 
from  the  various  armories  for  men  to  enlist,  and  we  stu- 
dents spent  more  time  at  the  armories  than  in  the  lecture 
room.  Meeting  on  the  street  one  day,  on  our  way  to  or 
from  an  armory,  one  of  our  most  dignified  professors,  he 
stopped  and  said,  "  Come  back  to  your  studies ;  it  is  not 
well  to  breathe  any  longer  this  exciting  atmosphere." 
And  yet  we  kept  on  breathing  it  until  some  of  our  num- 
ber marched  away  from  the  sound  of  the  college  bell  to 
the  tap  of  the  drum. 

A  very  tender  memory  comes  to  me.  One  lovely  sum- 
mer day  as  we  came  out  of  a  religious  service  at  the  col- 


M 


em  ones  o 


ofB. 


rown 


193 


lege,  a  classmate  who  seemed  much  impressed  by  the 
service  as  we  sauntered  down  the  hill  together  said  with 
warmth,  evidently  derived  from  the  tender  character  of  the 
service,  "  Why  cannot  we  have  this  kind  of  thing  all  the 
time?"  I  think  it  was  the  last  time  I  saw  him;  for  soon 
after  he  was  drowned,  but  the  memory  of  that  walk  with 
Chamberlain  has  been  with  me  through  life. 

Some  one  has  said,  "  He  who  calls  what  is  vanished 
into  being  enjoys  a  bliss  like  that  of  creating,"  and  so,  as 
we  face  the  realities  of  today,  all  are  grateful  for  that 
God-given  power  of  memory  w'hich  recreates  for  us  the 
realities  of  yesterday. 

Williajn  W.  Hoppiii,  iS6i. 


194  Memories  of  Brown 


A  Class  Expelled 


IT  is  a  rare,  if  not  unique,  occurrence  that  practically 
a  whole  class  is  expelled  from  college,  but  it  has  hap- 
pened in  the  history  of  Brown.  When  the  class  of 
1861  became  sophomores,  in  September,  1858,  the 
perplexing  question  arose,  "  What  shall  be  done  about  the 
freshmen  ?" 

The  custom  of  initiating  freshmen  in  the  various  ways, 
more  or  less  mild,  known  as  hazing,  had  been  so  long  es- 
tablished in  college,  without  special  rebuke,  the  students 
naturally  assumed  that,  while  the  practice  might  not  be 
openly  approved,  it  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  incidents  to  be  expected  in  the  introduction  to  college 
life. 

A  large  majority  of  the  class  of  1861  were  opposed  to 
the  hazing  which  had  been  customary.  They  had  suffered 
quite  severely  from  repeated  visits  of  the  previous  class, 
in  which  doors  had  been  smashed,  and  furniture  broken, 
and,  in  some  cases,  personal  injury  inflicted. 

The  class  of  1861  sought  to  introduce  a  reform  and  it 
met  the  usual  fate  of  reformers.  They  undertook  to  re- 
duce the  customary  harsh  conduct  to  a  harmless  and 
pleasant  affair.  They  knew,  however,  that  so  radical  a 
vote  as  an  interdict  of  hazing  would  not  be  recognized  by 
some  of  the  class  and  it  was  thought  that  even  the  fresh- 
men might  feel  somewhat  slighted  if  the  sophomores 
neglected  to  visit  them  and  to  show  them  the  attention 
that  had  been  given  to  previous  classes. 

Accordingly  it  was  voted  in  class  meeting  that  no  fresh- 


Memories  of  Brown  195 

man  should  be  visited  more  than  once  and  then  in  a 
gentlemanly  manner.  To  insure  this  result,  the  class 
voted  to  attend  in  a  body.  Classes  were  small  then.  In 
1858  there  were  29  seniors,  42  juniors,  58  sophomores  and 
65  freshmen  enrolled,  but  not  all  of  these  were  in  attend- 
ance in  college  and  some  were  special  students,  not  re- 
garded as  really  members  of  the  class.  All  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  class  were  not  able  to  attend  in  any  one  even- 
ing. Between  thirty  and  forty  took  part  altogether,  but 
not  all  at  one  time.  Enough,  however,  were  present  each 
evening  to  insure  the  mild  policy  which  the  class  had 
adopted.  The  visits  were  cordially  received  by  the  fresh- 
men in  every  case.  The  traditional  flowerpot  was  at  hand, 
but  as  nearly  all  the  freshmen  furnished  pipes  and  tobac- 
co for  their  guests,  the  latter  were  used  in  most  cases. 

The  freshmen  sang  songs  or  danced  or  made  speeches 
according  to  their  choice.  The  visits  were  short  and  all 
were  completed  in  two  or  three  evenings.  No  complaint 
was  made,  no  injury  was  done  to  person  or  property  and 
no  unpleasantness  marred  the  fun  in  which  both  classes 
participated.  In  several  cases  we  were  invited  to  call 
again.  We  had  accomplished  what  we  desired  in  adapt- 
ing an  ancient  custom,  often  vexatious,  to  the  mutual 
pleasure  of  both  classes. 

To  our  great  surprise  five  or  six  weeks  afterwards  every 
man  in  the  class  received  a  notice  to  call  at  the  president's 
ofifice.  Somebody  gave  us  a  tip  as  to  what  it  was  about 
and  we  held  a  class  meeting  to  discuss  the  situation.  We 
were  to  be  required  to  sign  a  paper  stating  that  we  were 
sorry  for  having  hazed  the  freshmen  ;  that  we  would  never 
do  so  again  ;  that  we  would  abstain  from  all  disorders  in 
the  future  and  use  our  influence  against  them.  The  class 
considered  the  matter,  and  refused  to  sign  a  paper  im- 
plying that  we  had  done  wrong,  which  no  one  would  ad- 
mit.    Indeed,  we  thought  we  had  done  a  very  creditable 


rown 


196  Memories  of  B 

thing.  There  had  been  no  violence  and  no  unpleasant- 
ness. Accordingly,  all  filed  in,  one  after  another,  and  re- 
fused to  sign  the  paper  presented,  except  one  or  two  who 
felt  obliged  to  save  their  scholarships,  and  some  who  were 
away.  All  the  rest  of  the  class,  between  thirty  and  forty, 
were  "  dismissed  from  college."  We  gathered  in  the  room  of 
the  United  Brothers,  then  in  the  north  division,  south  half 
of  fourth  floor  of  Hope  College,  and  were  there  all  night, 
in  conference,  sending  and  receiving  messages,  between 
our  class  and  the  faculty,  who  had  a  meeting  in  the  presi- 
dent's house  until  the  "  wee  sma'  hours."  We  became 
satisfied  that  we  would  not  be  out  of  college  long,  so  we 
did  not  separate.  The  next  day  we  went  down  the  river 
for  a  clambake,  and  when  we  got  back  we  found  a  modifi- 
cation of  the  paper  to  be  signed.  It  was,  in  substance, 
that  there  had  been  a  misapprehension  as  to  the  college 
laws  and  that  we  "  regretted  the  misapprehension." 

The  situation  appeared  quite  clearly  in  the  newspapers 
at  the  time,  from  which  the  following  are  selections  : 


Boston  Journal,  October  13,  1858: 

"  Brown  University. 

"  A  dispatch  in  another  column  states  that  a  number  of 
students  in  the  sophomore  class  of  Brown  University 
have  been  suspended  in  consequence  of  some  disobe- 
dience. The  dispatch  is  from  an  authentic  source,  but 
gives  no  definite  reason  for  the  dismissal.  It  will  be  seen 
that  the  writer  states  that  every  member  of  the  sophomore 
class  was  dismissed,  which  can  hardly  be  correct." 


Providence  Journal,  October  14,  1858: 
"Brown  University: 
"We  are  pleased  to  learn  that  the  difficulties  in  Brown 


Memories  of  Brown  197 

University  have  been  satisfactorily  arranged,  and  all  the 
students  who  were  suspended  have  been  restored.  A 
little  examination  showed  them  that  their  position  was 
indefensible  and  they  have  promptly  placed  themselves 
right.  In  that  they  were  not  called  upon  to  make  any 
sacrifice  of  personal  honor,  they  have  only  done  what 
gentlemen  ought  to  do  under  such  circumstances.  The 
laws  of  the  college  forbid  such  irregularities  as  were  the 
cause  of  the  suspension,  and  in  agreeing  to  abide  by  the 
laws  of  the  college  they  only  submit  to  the  requirements 
of  just  authority.  We  can  make  great  allowance  for  a 
spirit  of  fun  in  young  persons,  and  even  for  the  pretty 
severe  joking  that  seems  almost  to  belong  to  academic 
life,  but  the  '  hazing '  had  gone  quite  too  far,  and  the 
government  of  the  college  had  no  other  course  than  the 
one  which  it  took. 

"  Since  the  above  was  written  we  have  received  the  fol- 
lowing communication  from  a  committee  of  the  class,  and 
we  publish  it  with  much  pleasure.  We  stated  yester- 
day that  the  class  voted  in  class  meeting  that  they  would 
not  give  up  the  immemorial  custom  of  hazing.  This,  we 
are  informed,  was  not  exactly  so.  They  only  resolved 
that  they  would  mitigate  the  practice,  and  that  no  man 
should  be  hazed  twice,  as  some  of  them  had  been  the  year 
before.  The  purpose  of  their  meeting  was  therefore  to 
ameliorate  the  system  rather  than  to  insist  upon  it." 

Then  follow^s  the  communication  from  H.  S.  Burrage, 
T.  T.  Caswell  and  J.  A.  D'Wolf,  in  which  it  was  stated: 
"It  had  been  understood  by  all  that '  hazing  '  was  not  con- 
trary to  college  law^s,  as  it  had  been  a  custom  here  for 
years  and  accordingly  the  class  did  not  consider  it  just 
for  the  president  to  require  any  such  pledge  of  them,  un- 
less he  also  required  it  of  the  other  classes.  It  was  there- 
fore voted  that  the  class  should  sign  no  such  paper  from 
the  president." 


198  Memories  of  Brown 

Providence  Daily  Tribune,  October  14,  1858: 

"  Those  students  who  were  dismissed  from  college  on 
Monday  evening  and  Tuesday  morning,  to  the  number 
of  thirty,  were  reinstated  Wednesday  noon.  The  same 
hand  that  applied  the  rod  administered  the  healing  balm. 
The  worthy  Mater  could  ill  afford  to  lose  so  many  promis- 
ing children  and  all  have  been  restored  to  her  affectionate 
bosom." 

Then  follows  a  communication  from  a  number  of  the 
class  stating  the  situation  as  follows :  "  From  time  immemo- 
rial in  Brown,  as  well  as  in  all  other  like  institutions,  it  has 
been  the  custom  to  initiate  in  due  form  the  newly  fledged 
freshmen,  or  to  go  through  the  operation  commonly  called 
'  hazing.'  The  college  laws  nowhere  prohibit  this  or 
any  kindred  act,  and  never  until  after  this  year's 
'hazing'  was  completely  finished  was  a  single  word  said 
against  it  by  the  president.  Consequently  we  felt  that  we 
were  disobeying  no  law  or  regulation  in  sustaining  this 
custom  for  the  present  year  and  while  we  did  not  expect 
that  the  act  would  be  openly  countenanced  by  the  presi- 
dent or  faculty,  still  we  supposed,  as  in  years  past,  it  would 
be  'winked  at.'  The  Journal  of  Wednesday  morning 
says  that  the  '  hazing '  had  year  by  year  grown  more  severe 
and  that  this  last  hazing  was  worse  than  any  before. 
This  we  deny  in  toto.  Last  year  when  we  were  freshmen 
the  sophs  cam.e  four  and  five  times  and  not  only  smoked 
us  out,  but  smashed  doors,  broke  furniture  and  in  one  or 
two  cases  committed  personal  injury.  This  year,  how- 
ever, the  class  of  1861  voted  to  haze  but  once  and  in  a 
decent  and  gentlemanly  manner.  With  this  understand- 
ing we  went  around  and  in'no  case  has  there  been  a  single 
complaint,  and  the  freshmen  seemed  to  think  as  little 
about  it  as  we  did.  Five  weeks  have  passed  without  any- 
thing being  said  about  it  by  the  president,  when  suddenly 


Memories  of  Brown  199 

we  receive  information  that  the  whole  class  is  to  be  sum- 
moned to  sign  a  paper  stating  that  we  are  sorry  for  hav- 
ing hazed  the  freshmen,  that  we  will  never  do  so  again, 
that  we  will  abstain  from  all  disorders  in  college  hereafter 
and  use  our  influence  and  exertions  against  them. 

"  We  refused  to  sign  the  paper  and  consequently  more 
than  thirty  were  dismissed  from  the  university.  After- 
wards we  were  requested  to  sign,  as  a  new  law,  that  we 
would  never  engage  in  hazing  again.  If  it  was  to  be  a 
new  law  it  must  of  course  be  a  law^  for  the  whole  college 
and  signed  by  other  classes  as  well  as  ours.  As  it  was  of- 
fered to  our  class  alone  we  were  obliged  to  refuse  this  also. 

"  Wednesday  morning  we  learned  that  the  president 
was  willing  to  receive  us  back  upon  signing  a  paper  that 
if  hazing  was  included  in  the  laws  we  had  misapprehended 
them  and  regretted  having  unconsciously  broken  them. 
As  this  was  in  accordance  with  our  original  position  and 
did  not  imply  a  wilful  breach  of  college  laws  we  were  willing 
to  sign  such  a  paper,  as  we  would  have  been  at  the  first." 

The  spirit  of  the  class  had  been  to  prevent  disturbance 
and  to  cultivate  a  friendly  feeling  between  the  classes. 

The  faculty  at  length  perceived  this,  so  the  cards  ran 

thus : 

"  Brown  University 
October  ii,  1858. 

Mr. Your  son  is  dismissed  from  college. 

B.  Sears,  President." 

"Brown  University 
October  13,  1858. 

Mr. Your  son  is  restored  to  college. 

B.  Sears,  President." 

In  college,  as  elsewhere,  the  necessity  for  discipline  de- 
pends upon  the  point  of  view.         r  ,      rr   cv  ox 
^             ^              ^                              Jo/iii  11.  Stnicss,  I  So  I. 


200 


Memories  of  Brown 


The  Passing  of  the   Ancient  Well- 
Curb 


HE  old  well-curb  which  stood  for  many 
years  around  the  opening  of  the  well 
near  Hope  College  passed  away  some- 
time during  the  year  1 86 1-2.  It  was 
a  square  structure,  boarded  up  about 
three  feet  from  the  ground,  with  cor- 
ner posts  extending  upward  seven  or 
eight  feet  and  supporting  a  roof.  In 
this  roof  the  horizontal  windlass, 
^  consisting  of  a  six-inch  shaft  carry- 
ing a  drum  some  two  feet  in  dia- 
meter, was  placed.  The  rope,  to  which  the  bucket  was 
attached,  was  around  this  drum.  Around  the  shaft  was 
wound  a  strong  leather  strap  fastened  to  a  heavy  stone 
which  acted  as  a  counterbalance  to  the  bucket. 

It  frequently  occurred  that  a  student,  after  filling  his 
pitcher  or  pail,  would  amuse  himself  by  pulling  the 
bucket  down  to  the  surface  of  the  water  and,  without  fill- 
ing it,  let  go  the  rope  and  allow  it  to  come  up  empty. 
This,  owing  to  the  weight  of  the  counterbalance,  it  would 
do  with  an  increasing  velocity,  which  would  land  it  in  the 
roof  of  the  well-curb  with  a  good  deal  of  force  and  more 
or  less  noise.  A  good  many  buckets  were  knocked  to 
pieces  in  this  way. 

I  was  occupying  the  room  in  Hope  College  on  the  third 
floor  overlooking  the  well.     One  night  in  the  fall  of  186 1 


Memories  of  Brown  201 

or  the  spring  of  1862,  I  was  awakened  from  sleep  l^y  the 
sound  of  the  bucket  plunging  into  the  roof  of  the  well- 
curb.  I  heard  voices,  too,  so  that  I  knew  that  two  or  more 
students  were  at  the  well.  After  allowing  the  bucket  to 
shoot  up  out  of  the  well  a  few  times,  they  varied  the  sport 
by  pulling  the  bucket  out  horizontally  on  to  the  campus 
the  full  length  of  the  rope  and  then  letting  go,  allowing  it 
to  spring  back  again.  This  was  more  enjoyable,  for  it 
made  more  noise,  as  the  bucket  had  to  jump  the  board- 
ing of  the  curb  in  its  mad  plunge  into  the  roof.  After  a 
few  performances  of  this  sort,  the  attempt  to  pull  the  rope 
out  to  its  utmost  length  brought  so  much  stress  upon  the 
curb  as  to  overturn  it.  For  a  few  minutes  all  was  still. 
Presently  there  was  a  flicker  of  light  against  my  window. 
On  looking  out  I  saw  the  prostrate  curb  had  been  filled 
with  combustible  material,  which  was  on  fire.  Edward  O. 
Stevens,  a  senior,  who  is  now  and  has  been  for  many 
years  a  missionary  in  India,  occupied  the  room  directly 
below  mine.  He  raised  his  window  and  called  up  to  me, 
"Clarke,  are  you  at  the  window.?"  I  answered,  "yes." 
"  What  do  you  think  we  ought  to  do?  "  he  asked.  I  told 
him  I  thought  there  was  but  one  thing  we  could  do  and 
that  was  to  let  it  burn.  It  was  not  long  before  a  heap  of 
smouldering  embers  and  a  few  charred  sticks  was  all  that 
remained  of  the  old  well-curb. 

The  next  morning,  as  the  few  students  stood  around 
the  mouth  of  the  old  well,  now  covered  with  fresh  boards, 
we  were  touched  by  the  sense  of  our  loss.  While  we 
waited  there  for  the  chapel  bell  to  call  us  to  prayers,  we 
stood  in  a  circle  around  the  ashes  of  the  departed  and 
clasping  each  others'  hands  sang  "  Auld  Lang  Syne  "  and 
other  appropriate  hymns. 

Benjamin  F.  ClarJze^  i86j. 


202  Memories  of  Brown 


In  Brown's  Centennial  Year 


WHEN  I  first  entered  college  there  was  only  the 
front  row  of  buildings:  Hope  College,  Man- 
ning Hall,  then  used  as  library  below  and 
chapel  above,  University  Hall  and  Rhode 
Island  Hall.  These  have  since  all  been  changed  radically 
within.  The  ell  has  been  added  to  Rhode  Island  Hall, 
the  museum  created  and  the  interior  very  much  altered. 
Originally  there  were  two  large  lecture-rooms  on  the 
ground  floor,  the  northern  one  occupied  by  the  depart- 
ments of  philosophy  and  mathamatics ;  the  south  one 
specially  fitted  up  for  general  chemistry  and  physiology. 
Professors  Caswell  and  Greene  shared  the  first  and  Pro- 
fessor Gammell  had  the  second,  though  lectures  by  Pro- 
fessor Dunn  were  also  given  there.  Somewhere  in  the 
building  were  secreted  the  human  skeleton  and  the  mani- 
kin, which  were  subject  to  periodic  and  more  or  less 
lengthened  disappearances  that  to  this  day  are  not  wholly 
accounted  for.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  former  figured 
in  certain  initiations  as  the  veritable  skeleton  of  a  traitor 
to  the  mystic  order. 

The  present  chemical  laboratory,  which  old  alumni 
vainly  try  to  call  Rogers  Hall,  was  built  in  1862,  and  soon 
afterwards  Professor  John  Peirce  succeeded  to  the  chair, 
with  Professor  Appleton  as  assistant  and  the  present 
writer  as  bottle-washer  and  manufacturer  of  H.S. 

At  the  southwest  corner  of  the  front  campus  stood  then 
the  fine  old  colonial  house,  since  moved  to  Waterman 
street,  and  now  numbered  72.     It  was  the  residence  of 


M, 


em  ones  o 


o/B. 


rown 


203 


Colonel  William  W.  Brown  of  the  First  Light  Infantry. 
Where  Mr.  S.  R.  Dorrance's  house  now  stands  was  a 
wooden  cottage,  in  which  in  my  senior  year  I  had  a  capi- 
tal room.  Back  of  Rhode  Island  Hall  was  another  wooden 
frame  house. 


Professor  William  Whitman  Bailey,  1864 
(From  an  old  photograph) 


There  were  no  suites  in  any  of  the  dormitories.  A 
man's  one  room  was  his  castle,  and  if  he  were  a  freshman 
it  might  happen  that  he  would  be  called  upon  to  defend 
it.  I  lived  outside  of  college  and  have  no  hazing  experi- 
ence to  record.  Indeed,  even  then,  that  atrocious  practice 
was  on  the  wane.  No  attention  whatever  was  given  to 
sanitary  conditions  or  requirements.     Basins  were  gener- 


204  Memories  of  B 


rown 


ally  emptied  from  the  windows  of  the  dormitories,  with  or 
without  the  warning  cry,  "Stand  from  under!"  Indeed, 
the  propulsion  of  the  liquid  and  the  cry  of  alarm  might 
be  simultaneous.  Every  one  had  a  stove,  and  ashes  were 
cast  into  the  halls,  w^hence  they  were  now  and  then  re- 
moved. It  was  a  mercy  that  no  disastrous  fire  ever  oc- 
curred. We  all  devoutly  believed  that  the  buildings  were 
fireproof.  Yet,  the  shabby,  insanitary  condition  of  the 
old-time  dormitories  at  Brown,  it  is  only  fair  to  say,  was 
not  a  whit  worse  than  that  which  prevailed  at  Union  or 
Yale  or  even  Harvard.  It  was  a  reproach  to  all  our  col- 
leges of  that  day  that  a  young  man,  leaving  a  comfortable 
or  even  refined  home,  should  suddenly  encounter  such 
demoralizing  conditions. 

Back  of  the  chemical  laboratory,  and  about  the  time 
that  it  was  built  in  1862,  there  began  to  be  planted  a  grove 
of  class  trees,  on  the  pleasant  slope  where  now  stand  the 
swimming  pool,  the  Lyman  Gymnasium  and  Sayles  Hall. 
The  custom  prevailed  well  into  the  seventies.  It  was 
fondly  believed  that  these  trees  would  abide  for  at  least  a 
century.  One,  I  recall,  was  marked  with  a  label.  Yet 
under  the  exigencies  of  university  expansion  they  all  dis- 
appeared, nor  have  I  ever  heard  of  a  remonstrance.  With 
some  little  expense  and  trouble  they  could  have  been 
moved  to  more  favorable  localities.  Besides  the  class 
elms  there  were  some  vigorous  maples  and  one  or  two  oaks. 

When  I  am  asked  what  we  did  between  recitations,  my 
immediate  answer  is:  "Played  cards."  Indeed,  I  saw 
so  much  of  high-low-jack,  euchre  and  whist  that  I  have 
loathed  cards  ever  since.  Singing  on  the  chapel  steps  in 
spring  and  summer  was  spontaneous  and  general.  Glee 
clubs  were  of  later  formation,  so  was  the  Hammer  and 
Tongs,  which  succeeded  to  the  room  of  the  United 
Brothers.  There  many  a  young  artist  first  displayed  his 
talent  in  "  Box  &  Cox  "  and  "  A  Thumping  Legacy." 


Memories  of  Brown  205 

Commencement  in  our  day  came  in  September.  It 
was  then  that  by  common  consent  society  people  returned 
from  their  various  summer  resorts.  The  exercises  pre- 
sented features  no  longer  known.  In  more  or  less  classic 
Latin,  pronounced  in  the  old  English  way,  the  salutatorian 
addressed  the  formosae  puellae  in  the  galleries  and  spoke 
words  of  sonorous  but  unknown  wisdom  to  corpora- 
tion, faculty  and  students.  There  were  some  dozen  or 
fifteen  speakers,  arranged  in  groups,  and  only  Professor 
Dunn,  and  later  Professor  Bancroft,  knew  the  significance 
of  those  groups  as  to  rank.  The  undergraduate  body 
always  maintained  that  these  censors  rigorously  excluded 
all  originality  from  the  orations.  I  do  not  feel  so  sorry 
for  this  now  as  I  did  then.  After  some  four  or  five  men 
had  discoursed  on  "  Great  Minds  in  History,"  or  "  Aris- 
totle's Views  of  the  Future  of  Man,"  there  was  music  and 
the  graduates  in  large  numbers  bolted  for  the  green  out- 
side the  church.  There,  stretched  under  the  trees,  they 
discoursed  of  old  times,  while  spry  sophomores  or  juniors 
"  trotted,"  or,  as  we  then  said,  "  electioneered,"  the  in- 
coming freshmen  for  the  fraternities.  The  staple  viands 
of  the  dinner,  which  was  held  in  a  big  tent  on  the  cam- 
pus, were  watermelon  and  very  ancient  cold  turkey. 
A  friend  of  mine  maintained  that  he  wrestled  with 
the  same  upper  joint  on  five  consecutive  commence- 
ments. Yet  this  was  before  the  discovery  of  modern 
preservatives. 

My  own  graduation  year  was  that  of  the  university  cen- 
tennial. President  Sears  gave  in  the  church  his  great 
historical  discourse,  and  the  Central  Glee  Club  sang  an 
ode  written  for  the  occasion  by  Bishop  Burgess.  There 
was  a  grand  dinner  in  the  tent  at  which  seven  hundred 
guests  were  present.  Among  many  good  speeches  by 
famous  men  we  had  one  from  Goldwin  Smith,  who  was 
next  day  made  a  LL.l).  by  the  university.    Several  poems 


206 


Mi 


em  ones  o 


'fB 


rown 


were  read,  the  best  of  which,  I   need  not  say,  was  Major 
John  Hay's  "Centennial,"  beginning 

"  A  hundred  times  the  bells  of  Brown 
Have  rung  to  sleep  the  idle  summers, 
And  still  today  clangs  clamoring  down 
A  greeting  to  the  welcome  comers." 


William  Whitman  Bailey,  1S64. 


Relics  of  an  Elder  Day  on   College  Hill 


Memories  of  Brow?i  207 


The  Old  Textbook  Burials 


THE  "  Whately  Burial,"  famous  in  Brown  tradition, 
passed   away    with    the   outbreak  of  the   Civil 
War.     It  was  no  longer  a  time  for  masquerad- 
ing and  buffoonery.     If  there  were  to  be  pa- 
rades of  any  kind,  by  common  consent  they  were  of  a  mar- 
tial character. 

While  the  old  burials  lasted,  however.  Brown  could  boast 
a  unique  and  interesting  custom,  often  calling  forth  high 
literary  proficiency  or  histrionic  and  poetic  powers.  The 
juniors  took  this  method  of  wreaking  their  spite  against 
certain  obnoxious  textbooks  — not  in  themselves  repre- 
hensible, to  be  sure,  but  the  books  demanded  hard  work 
and  must  be  punished  therefor.  For  quite  a  time  Whate- 
ly and  Spalding — rhetoric  and  logic — were  especially 
condemned.  The  poor  authors  were  tried  and  con- 
demned on  the  flimsiest  curcumstantial  evidence.  In 
carnival  array,  each  one  vying  with  his  neighbor  to  rig 
himself  in  striking  apparel,  the  juniors  marched  through 
the  streets  escorted  by  the  other  undergraduates  and  a 
vast  number  of  interested  youth.  With  red-fire  and  Ro- 
man candles,  they  acted  then  much  as  they  do  now  after 
an  athletic  victory.  Many  staid,  reverend  citizens,  now 
pillars  of  church  or  state  or  bar,  have  we  seen  playing 
monkey-shines  in  these  old-time  processions.  Often,  to- 
day, they  are  all  too  ready  to  condemn  another  genera- 
tion by  no  means  worse  than  themselves.  The  difference 
in  point  of  view  between  "in  college"  and  "out  "  is  pro- 
found and  radical. 


208  Memories  of  Brown 

After  a  lengthened  parade  through  the  chief  streets  and 
a  march  past  the  houses  of  certain  favorite  professors,  the 
procession  embarked  at  Fox  Point,  and  proceeding  down 
the  river  for  some  distance  consigned  the  books,  wliich 
by  the  way  were  contained  in  a  cof^n,  to  the  depths  pro- 
found, while  the  band  played  a  dirge.  There  was  always 
an  oration  and  a  poem,  many  of  which  were  clever  and 
some  even  brilliant.  A  high  priest  conducted  appropri- 
ate services,  while  Mephisto  stood  ready  to  thrust  the  ob- 
noxious authors,  considered  to  be  embodied  in  their 
works,  into  outer  darkness.  It  was  a  high  honor  to  be 
chosen  for  any  of  the  ofifices  of  the  burial :  priest,  orator, 
poet,  odist,  were  all  supposed  to  be  selected  with  great 
care. 

I  do  not  know  in  what  year  these  burials  began,  but 
they  were  in  full  blast  in  the  three  years  I  was  at  Lyon's 
School,  as  the  University  Grammar  School  was  more 
properly  called.  As  I  have  said,  the  war  killed  them,  but 
after  a  lull  of  some  years  they  were  revived  in  a  some- 
what different  form.  The  exercise  now  became  a  crema- 
tion, and  with  other  objects  of  opprobrium  it  was  the 
rather  personal  habit  to  vituperize  teacher  as  well  as 
author  and  to  bury  the  former  where  it  was  possible,  as 
the  unforgivable  parent  of  such  arid,  wearisome  stuff. 
No  biting  or  sarcastic  terms  were  of  suf^cient  force, 
often,  to  express  the  class  contempt  or  bitterness,  and 
when  the  custom  thus  became  cruel  and  lost  its  old 
pleasant  aroma,  it  was  but  a  question  of  time  as  to  its 
passing. 

William  Whitman  Bailey,  1864. 


Memories  of  Brown  209 


The  Faculty  in  the  Sixties 


PROFESSOR  Albert  Harkness  was  ever  regarded 
by  me  as  the  embodiment  of  Greek  culture  and 
refinement.  Never  have  I  discovered  in  him  the 
slightest  irritation  at  the  stupidity  or  the  pecca- 
dilloes of  his  pupils.  On  a  certain  occasion  when  the 
class  was  indulging  in  excessive  as  well  as  uncalled-for 
applause,  he  simply  raised  his  right  hand  and  with  re- 
peated deprecatory  gesture  exclaimed,  his  countenance 
radiant  erewhile  with  an  amused  smile,  "  Gentlemen, 
gentlemen  !  I  am  afraid  we  are  doing  ourselves  injustice  ! " 
Instruction  in  French  was  imparted  by  Alphonse 
Renaud,  a  Red  Republican  national  assemblyman,  who 
had  to  leave  France  when  Louis  Napoleon  accomplished 
\\\^  coup  d'etat.  Upon  his  advent  to  the  university,  in- 
stead of  announcing  his  first  lesson  at  chapel  prayers,  he 
awaited  our  attendance  on  the  first  recitation  hour.  After 
instructing  us  as  to  the  manner  in  which  he  desired  us  to 
prepare  for  the  classroom,  he  continued,  "  Young  men,  I 
presume  you  are  all  gentlemen,  but  such  has  not  always 
proved  to  be  the  case,  therefore  I  must  give  you  some 
rules  of  conduct."  Among  them  was  one  that  was  lis- 
tened to  with  profound  attention :  "  You  must  not  cut 
the  rounds  out  of  the  backs  of  the  settees  !  "  As  was  to 
be  expected,  in  less  than  a  month  one  settee,  the  third 
from  the  front,  had  no  rounds  in  its  back  save  the  stout 
end  posts  and  perhaps  two  midway.  Of  course,  it  was 
occupied  meanwhile  by  as  many  earnest  students  as 
could   sit   thereon   without   serious   discomfort.      Other 


210 


Mi 


em  ones  o 


ofB 


rown 


rounds  were  missing  in  different  parts  of  the  room,  but 
here  it  was  that  time  wrought  its  most  serious  havoc. 
Occasionally  a  loud  crash  beside  the  blackboards  indi- 
cated that  another  round  had  given  out,  but  as  the  in- 
structor always  looked  in  the  direction  of  the  noise  and 


Barnas  Sears,  1825 
President  of  the  University,  1855-1867 


not  toward  the  students,  the  ultimate  cause  of  these  ac- 
cidents was  never  ascertained. 

The  modern  language  recitation  room  was  on  the 
ground  floor,  rear  projection.  University  Hall.  When 
the  windows  were  opened  in  warm  weather  to  secure  per- 


Memories  of  Brown  2 1 1 

feet  ventilation,  the  north  window-seat  on  the  east  side 
was  always  occupied  by  two  or  three  zealous  students. 
When  the  exercises  became  prosaic,  one  would  gently 
slip  over  the  sill  and  depart  to  his  room,  the  better  to  be 
prepared  for  the  next  recitation.  His  place  would  be 
filled  as  promptly  as  circumstances  permitted  by  some 
other  equally  studious  chap.  I  never  knew  that  the  es- 
cape of  more  than  one  was  definitely  fixed  upon  the  ad- 
venturer, though  the  instructor  would  be  perplexed  oc- 
casionally at  his  failure  to  find  some  one  he  had  marked 
present. 

It  chanced  that  some  of  our  number  had  previously 
studied  the  French  language.  To  make  manifest  their 
superior  attainments,  they  were  wont  to  respond  at  roll 
call  "  ici."  Others  less  learned  but  quick-witted  caught 
on  to  the  idea,  and  presently  there  were  all  manner  of  re- 
plies, even  to  "  easy  !  " 

Alas  for  poor  Renaud  !  His  vivacity  cost  him  at  last 
every  position  and  he  sought  refuge  in  the  Third  Rhode 
Island  Cavalry,  where  he  served  as  a  sergeant  in  Troop 
G  from  February  2,  1864,  until  November  29,  1865.  Soon 
after  his  muster-out,  despite  former  emphatic  protesta- 
tions of  disbelief  in  the  sincerity  of  Napoleon  III,  he  ac- 
cepted the  provisions  of  that  monarch's  last  amnesty 
proclamation  and  returned  to  his  native  land,  whence 
ere  long  he  went  the  way  of  all  the  earth. 

One  morning  in  the  fall  of  1862,  as  I  wended  my  way 
across  the  front  campus  from  my  home,  a  mile  and  a 
quarter  away,  to  morning  prayers,  then  held  on  the  sec- 
ond floor  of  Manning  Hall,  my  attention  was  attracted  to 
the  singular  appearance  of  Hope  College.  Had  it  not 
been  that  many  of  its  own  windows  as  well  as  all  of  the 
glass  in  neighboring  buildings  remained  intact,  I  should 
have  supposed  a  terrific  battle  had  been  waged  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity.     The  mystery  I  could  not  unravel  nor 


212 


Memories  of  Brown 


was  it  comprehensible  until  it  was  explained  by  one  of 
my  classmates,  in  substance  as  follows : 

Prompted  by  the  instinctive  sentiment  of  paternity 
that  develops  in  most  sophomores  toward  all  freshmen, 
one  of  the  former  who  rejoiced  in  the  soubriquet  of 
Neoptolemus  and  occupied  the  southeast  room  on  the 


Professor  George  Ide  Chace,  1830 
(Taken  about  1864) 


ground  floor  of  Hope  College  enticed  one  of  the  latter 
into  his  den  and,  as  was  alleged,  there  maltreated  him. 
Naturally  the  ire  of  his  fellows  was  aroused,  and  one  mid- 
night, as  the  valiant  soph  was  sleeping  the  sleep  of  the 
just,  he  was  rudely  awakened  by  a  loud  crash,  and  swash 
went  pail  after  pail  of  cold  water  over  the  prostrate,  scan- 


Memories  of  Brown  2 1 3 

tily  clad  form  of  the  innocent  (?)  victim.  Of  course,  ap- 
peals for  mercy  were  wasted  words,  and  not  until  the  as- 
sailants were  wearied  by  their  exertions  did  they  cease 
from  their  labor.  But  such  rebellious  conduct  on  the 
part  of  freshmen  was  entirely  unprecedented.  The  of- 
fence could  not  be  overlooked.  That  class  must  be  made 
an  example  of  that  would  horrify  forever  after  all  such 
presumptuous  folk.  A  plan  of  campaign  was  at  once 
formulated,  the  nature  of  which  can  best  be  inferred  by 
subsequent  events. 

On  a  certain  later  day  anonymous  warnings  were  re- 
ceived by  the  freshmen  that  their  rooms  would  be  visited 
that  night.  Pitman,  who  occupied  the  south  front  room, 
ground  floor,  middle  entry,  Hope  College,  was  particu- 
larly favored  in  this  respect.  However,  as  everything 
seemed  quiet  at  11.15  P.  M.,  the  fighting  juniors,  if  not 
the  fighting  freshmen,  domiciled  in  Pawtucket,  retired  to 
their  homes.  But  the  college  roomers  were  still  uneasy, 
for  never  had  such  definite  premonitions  of  trouble  been 
known  to  fail.  Accordingly,  about  midnight,  a  recon- 
noitring party,  which  included  E.  C.  Chick  and  C.  E. 
Willard  of  the  junior  class,  sallied  forth  in  search  of  in- 
formation. It  was  found  !  Turning  a  corner  from  Brown 
street,  the  scouts  butted  into  the  sophomore  army. 
Chick  was  at  once  knocked  down,  but  Willard  protected 
him  until  he  had  regained  his  feet,  when  a  precipitate, 
though  orderly,  retreat  was  effected  to  headquarters,  Pit- 
man's room.  There  preparations  to  receive  invaders 
were  at  once  completed.  Meanwhile,  the  hostiles,  find- 
ing themselves  discovered,  moved  promptly  but  silently 
forward  to  the  attack,  ranged  themselves  in  front  of  the 
ill-fated  room,  and  at  a  given  signal  hurled  a  shower  of 
stones  at  the  windows  that  carried  away  sash,  blinds, 
shades  and  curtains,  thus  affording  convenient  breaches  for 
assault.    As  no  missile  had  been  returned,  the  achievement 


214 


Memories  of  Brown 


seemed  simple  enough.  A  valiant  soph  stepped  upon 
the  narrow  granite  underpinning,  throwing  his  arms  over 
the  window-sill,  and  bent  forward  to  enter.  His  head 
had  scarcely  reached  the  anterior  plane  of  the  room  when 
whack!  descended  a  gymnastic  club,  wielded  by  the  mus- 
cular Ned  Chick,  upon  that  devoted  pate,  and  its  owner, 


Manning  Hall,  1864 

with  a  heavy  groan,  dropped  to  the  ground.  A  bolder 
youth  essayed  the  second  breach.  He  encountered  a 
similar  reception  at  the  hands  of  the  tall  but  wiry  Charlie 
Willard,  and  in  addition,  just  below  the  right  eye,  a  stove- 
cover  hurled  with  unerring  aim,  by  the  aforesaid  Chick, 


Memories  of  Brown  215 

who  afterwards  affirmed  that  he  did  not  then  know  that 
the  cover  was  hot,  but  a  little  later  found  his  fingers  blis- 
tered. It  is  almost  needless  to  state  that  the  second 
adventurer  dropped  also,  if  anything  a  little  quicker  than 
the  first.  The  besiegers  were  now  convinced  that  the 
scaling  of  the  wall  was  impracticable,  so  a  flank  movement 
was  resorted  to.  The  entry  door  was  forced  open,  and 
after  a  desperate  fight  the  few  but  gallant  defenders  were 
driven  up  the  stairway.  There,  as  at  the  ancient  Roman 
bridge,  three  could  hold  ten  thousand  at  bay,  so  the  in- 
vading host  halted  without  orders.  It  avenged  its  practi- 
cal defeat,  however,  by  sending  out  skirmishers,  who  rid- 
dled with  stones  the  windows  of  every  freshman  residing 
in  Hope  College.  The  next  term  bill  contained  this 
item :  "  Private  damage,  75  cents."  This  enraged  not  a 
few  students  who  knew  nothing  of  the  circus  until  after 
the  performance  closed,  among  them  myself.  Chancing 
to  be  in  the  Chick  brothers'  room  some  days  later,  the 
subject  came  up  for  discussion  when,  knowing  they  would 
take  care  of  their  own  bill,  I  turned  to  another  of  my 
classmates  and  remarked,  "  Kenyon,  I  give  you  full  and 
free  permission  to  use  up  my  seventy-five  cents  worth  of 
private  damage."  "  Fact  is,"  drawled  Kenyon  in  reply, 
"  I  haven't  used  my  own  up." 

Apparatus  utilized  in  the  physics  room  in  exemplifying 
the  principles  of  hydraulics  was  placed  on  a  tin  waiter 
that  water  escaping  through  faulty  connections  or  ill-fit- 
ting valves  might  be  restrained  from  mischievous  perigri- 
nations.  When  the  experiments  were  concluded  one  day, 
the  professor  placed  it  on  the  floor,  leaning  against  the 
glass  instrument  case  behind  him.  The  very  next  day 
the  student  next  on  my  left  chanced  to  bring  in  a  pocket- 
ful of  shot  which  he  commenced  to  snap  at  random 
around  the  room.  Disliking  to  see  things  wasted  I  bent 
over  and  whispered,  "  If  you  must  fire,  why  don't  you  fire 


2 1 6  Memories  of  Brown 

to  some  purpose?  Don't  you  see  that  waiter?"  The 
hint  was  all-sufficient.  His  aim  was  at  once  directed 
toward  the  resonant  metal.  The  interest  of  the  entire 
class  was  excited.  Each  student  commenced  searching- 
for  a  stray  shot  that  had  previously  fallen  in  his  vicinage. 
A  right  merry  bombardment  was  vigorously  prosecuted, 
for  the  sloping  floor,  elevated  platform  and  long  but  sim- 
ple table  that  served  as  the  instructor's  desk  made  the 
field  of  operations  plain  to  all.  Suddenly  a  modern  cent 
was  hurled  against  the  target  with  such  force  that  its  re- 
bound cleared  the  platform  and  it  fell  at  the  feet  of  the 
front  row  of  students.  Deathlike  silence  supervened 
upon  its  terrific  ring.  The  professor  adjusted  his  glasses, 
looked  carefully  over  the  room,  and  then  remarked, 
"  Tyler,  you  may  stay  after  recitation."  "  Yes,  sir,"  re- 
plied the  suspect.  I  know  naught  of  the  matter,  save 
that  the  cent  was  picked  up,  was  passed  along  back  and 
apparently  stopped  at  Tyler's  chair. 

On  one  occasion  Dr.  Caswell  placed  a  mathematical 
demonstration  on  the  blackboard  for  the  edification  of  the 
class.  He  was  about  writing  the  final  result  when  he 
paused  for  an  instant  to  run  over  the  work  lest  perchance 
he  had  committed  some  error  in  figuring.  Naturally  he 
flexed  his  right  hand  backward.  Just  as  he  had  com- 
pleted the  revision  and  the  wrist  was  bent  forward,  a  huge 
spitball  struck  the  board  at  the  exact  point  toward  which 
the  crayon  was  aimed,  and  spread  out  over  a  space  two 
inches  in  diameter.  The  professor's  hand  dropped  to  his 
side,  he  turned  and  gazed  at  the  class  for  a  few  moments, 
resumed  his  chair  and  gave  us  quite  a  pointed  address 
upon  our  gentlemanliness  or  the  lack  of  it. 

One  speech  of  Dr.  Caswell's  will  never  be  forgotten  by 
the  class  of  '64.  For  terseness  and  appositeness  it  cannot 
be  excelled.  It  was  repeated  as  often  as  occasion  de- 
manded, and  that  was  frequently.     When  we  indulged  in 


Memories  oj  Brow?i  2 1 7 

unmeet  applause,  he  always  remarked  with  a  most  be- 
nignant smile,  "  Pleased  with  a  rattle,  tickled  with  a 
straw."  For  a  time  this  was  the  signal  for  renewed  ap- 
plause, always  graciously  received,  but  later  by  common 
consent  the  observation  was  received  with  soberness  and 
stillness.  It  was  noted  that  the  smile  became  sickly  look- 
ing and  ere  long  the  iteration  ceased. . 

Early  in  our  senior  year  an  event  occurred  somewhat 
startling,  well-nigh  tragic.  Our  depleted  ranks  had  been 
strengthened  by  a  number  of  recruits  from  a  college  out- 
side New  England.  Among  these  was  one  Martin  Luth- 
er Laws,  a  hot-headed  Southerner.  Initiation  day  had 
come,  i.  e.,  the  day  on  which  youths  eager  for  forensic 
fame  enrolled  themselves  in  the  Philermenian  or  United 
Brothers  society.  Though  at  this  time  the  former  seldom 
held  meetings  and  the  latter  never,  the  rivalry  in  the  se- 
curement  of  members  was  even  more  intense  than  in  the 
days  of  their  greatest  prosperity,  for  now  quantity,  not 
quality,  was  the  desideratum.  The  Phils  occupied  the 
practically  double  room  on  the  north  side  of  the  north 
entry,  Hope  College,  fourth  floor ;  the  Brothers  the  cor- 
responding apartment  on  the  south  side.  Their  doors 
were  opposite  and  in  close  juxtaposition  to  the  west  hall 
window.  Now  the  upper  stairway  and  entry  were  filled 
on  these  occasions  with  upperclassmen  and  if  it  was 
known  that  a  given  neophyte  was  pledged  to  either  or- 
ganization he  and  his  friends  had  no  slight  task  on  their 
hands  to  land  him  at  the  appropriate  destination.  It 
chanced  this  day  that  Laws  met  a  freshman  hanging 
around  outside  the  building  with  downcast  countenance 
and  dubious  expression,  so  he  asked  what  the  matter  was. 
He  was  told  the  youngster  wanted  to  join  the  Philer- 
menians,  but  was  afraid  to  go  up  lest  he  be  hustled  into 
the  Brothers'  room.  "Come  with  me  and  I'll  see  you 
through,"  said  Laws,  and  the  twain  started  on  their  trip. 


2 1 8  Memories  of  B 


rown 


Mr.  Greatheart  for  once,  however,  had  reckoned  without 
his  host.  When  they  had  reached  the  crowd,  Ned  Chick, 
a  Brother  and  the  fighting  man  par  excellence,  was  stand- 
ing in  its  midst  and  ere  Laws  could  definitely  ascertain  his 
own  whereabouts,  his  protege  was  seen  standing  near  the 
centre  of  the  south  room  firmly  held  by  the  said  Chick. 
This  so  enraged  Laws  that  he  drew  his  revolver  and  dis- 
charged it,  but  his  hand  was  knocked  up  on  the  instant  and 
the  bullet  merely  grazed  Fales's  olfactory  protuberance  and 
buried  itself  harmlessly  in  the  ceiling.  Deathlike  still- 
ness supervened,  during  which  Laws  took  his  friend's 
right  arm  and  marched  him  over  to  the  interior  of  the 
north  room,  where  he  was  duly  enrolled  among  the  peo- 
ple of  his  choice.  Laws's  seat  in  the  recitation  rooms  was 
vacant,  however,  for  a  number  of  days.  He  first  reap- 
peared at  the  morning  history  hour.  As  he  entered  the 
room.  Professor  Gammell  left  his  throne,  walked  over  half 
the  distance  to  the  door,  grasped  him  cordially  by  the 
hand  and  welcomed  him  back  to  the  classroom.  It  was 
alleged  that  he  was  the  only  member  of  the  faculty  that 
approved  Laws's  action  and  that  his  powerful  influence 
alone  prevented  expulsion. 

The  truth  of  that  ancient  adage,  "  Never  too  old  to 
learn,"  was  renewedly  and  conspicuously  exemplified  by 
an  experience  of  that  eminent  educator.  Professor  S.  S. 
Greene,  but  a  short  time  before  his  retirement.  In  his 
algebra  class  was  a  pupil  whom  he  styled  the  best  mathe- 
matician he  had  ever  met  in  the  classroom.  The  man 
may  be  called  Smith,  chiefly  because  his  name  was  not 
Smith,  but  also  because  he  was  in  divers  ways  connected 
with  that  numerous  and  eminently  respectable  family. 
Now,  the  professor  had  been  in  the  habit  of  telling  his 
students  they  must  be  prepared  to  perform  any  example 
under  the  caption  to  be  considered  next  day,  but  sudden- 
ly he  awoke  to  the  fact  that  most  of  the  class  were  totally 


Memories  of  Brown  219 

unacquainted    with    them.      Thoroughly    provoked,    he 
ordered  each  student  to  hand  in  next  morning  as  he  en- 
tered the  recitation  room  a  solution  of  every  problem  in 
the  next  lesson.     These  covered  more  than  two  pages  oc- 
tavo.    Smith    raised  his  hand — "  Yes,  you  too,   Smith," 
broke  in  the  professor,  "  no  one  will  be  excused,"  and  the 
student's   hand   dropped.     Most  of   the  class  were  dis- 
mayed :  it  was  absolutely  impossible  for  them  to  solve  the 
examples  and  devote  any  attention  to  their  other  studies. 
On  emerging  from  the  recitation  room  they  instinctively 
grouped  to  consider  the  situation,  when  one  of  the  most 
stalwart  threw  his  arms  around  their  mathematician  and 
exclaimed,  "  We've  got  Smith  now,  we  won't  let  him  go 
until  he  has  got  us  out  of  this  scrape."     Another  student 
tendered  the  use  of  his  room  and  thither  all  repaired. 
Smith  ordered  the  boys  to  count  off  by  threes.     He  ex- 
plained the  first  example  to  the  division  of  ones  and  di- 
rected them  to  commence  figuring ;    then  he  went  over 
the  second  with  the  twos  and  the  third  with  the  threes. 
By  this  time  the  ones  were   ready  to   report.     If  their 
answ^ers  agreed  he  considered  them  correct — if  there  was 
much  divergence  he  went  through  the  work  himself  and 
thus  detected  the  several  errors.     Quite  promptly  the  list 
of  questions  was  completed.     Arrangements  were  made 
for   the   exchange  of  papers  for  transcribing  when    the 
question  was  asked,  "  What  is  to  be  done  with  Smith?  " 
Finally  it  was  agreed  that  one  man  from  each  division 
would  hand  him  a  copy  of  the  problems  he  had  wrought, 
which  arrangement  was  duly  carried  out.     Next  morning, 
each  student  on  entering  the  recitation  room  handed  the 
professor  a  neatly  written  sheet  containing  the  desired 
solutions,  until  Smith  appeared,  when  he  coolly  passed 
over  three  pieces  of  paper  in  as  many  distinct  chirogra- 
phics, neither  being  his  own.     The  professor  paused,  sep- 
arated them,  closelv  scanned  them  and  then  looking  up  at 


220 


Mi 


emories  Oi 


B 


rown 


Smith  asked,  "  Have  you  performed  all  these  examples?  " 
"Yes,  sir,"  promptly  replied  Smith.  The  professor  again 
looked  at  the  papers,  when  Smith  continued,  "  The  man 
that  builds  the  house  is  not  the  man  that  drives  the 
nails !  "  After  a  moment's  pause  the  papers  were  laid  on 
the  desk  with  the  others  and  Smith  passed  on.  Never 
again  was  that  class  directed  to  perform  an  example  out- 
side the  recitation  room.  Those  three  papers,  of  course, 
had  afforded  the  key  to  the  situation. 

George  B.  Peck,  1S64. 


*The  Old  and  the  New 


Memories  of  Brown  221 

More  About  the  Faculty  in  the 
Sixties 


WHEN  I  was  a  student  at  Brown  University, 
in  1860-64,  two  degrees  were  given, —  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  at  the  end  of  four  years, 
and  the  degree  of  B.  P.  at  the  end  of  three 
years.  In  those  days  the  Greek  and  Latin  classics  enjoyed 
a  prestige  in  academic  circles  which  they  have  since  par- 
tially lost,  and  the  A.  B.  course,  which  included  them, 
stood  higher  than  the  alternative  course  in  general  esti- 
mation, not  only  because  of  its  greater  length  but  also  be- 
cause of  its  more  approved  requirements.  The  elective 
principle,  though  not  then  so  dominatory  in  the  shaping 
of  college  courses  as  it  has  since  become,  was  recognized 
to  a  limited  extent  in  the  later  years  of  the  college  course, 
for  I  distinctly  remember  that  I  had  the  option  of  substi- 
tuting for  Greek,  which  had  been  required  in  the  case  of 
candidates  for  the  A.  B.  degree  in  the  freshman  and  soph- 
omore years,  a  laboratory  course  in  chemistry  in  the  junior 
year.  I  had  at  the  time  a  lurking  suspicion  that  laboratory 
work  in  chemistry  might  have  a  closer  relation  to  modern 
life  than  Greek,  but  scholastic  traditions  were  strong, 
laboratory  work  was  unfamiliar  and  therefore  uninviting, 
and  I  chose  the  Greek  in  the  confident  persuasion  that  it 
was  both  a  more  approved  and  promising  instrument  of 
culture,  and  in  the  profession  of  teaching,  to  which  I  pur- 
posed to  devote  myself,  a  subject  rated  at  a  higher  market 
value. 


222 


Memories  of  Brown 


In  the  early  60s,  the  requirements  for  the  degree  of 
A.  B.  included  prescribed  work  in  all  the  great  domains 
of  knowledge.  Thus  we  studied  not  only  the  Greek  and 
Latin  classics,  two  modern  languages,  English  literature, 
rhetoric,  logic,  and  intellectual  and  moral  philosophy,  but 


Professor  William  Gammell,  1831 
(Taken  about  1864) 

we  studied  the  physical  sciences  also.  In  this  way  we  left 
no  department  of  human  investigation  untouched.  I  say 
untouched  rather  than  unexplored,  advisedly,  for  the 
sciences,  at  least  in  the  A.  B.  course,  were  taught  mainly 
for  purposes  of  information  rather  than  of  training.  Thus 
we  studied  general  chemistry,  geology,  physiology,  physics, 
astronomy,  etc.,  but  w^e  had  no  laboratory  work  in  any  of 
these  sciences.     Indeed,  except  in  the  mathematical  parts 


Memories  of  Brown  223 

of  mechanics  and  astronomy,  our  sole  dependence  was  on 
the  notes  that  we  took  of  lectures  and  on  such  ob- 
servation as  we  could  give  from  our  seats  in  the  lecture 
room  to  illustrative  experiments  performed  by  the  profes- 
sor. Moreover,  the  overworked  professor  taught,  not  one 
subject,  but  a  group  of  subjects  and  as  a  rule  he  had  no 
assistant  of  higher  grade  than  the  janitor. 

The  professors  who  instructed  us  were  mature  men,  not 
boys ;  and  for  the  most  part,  so  far  at  least  as  we  were 
competent  to  judge,  they  were  masters  of  their  subjects. 
Those  under  whom  I  studied  were  Greene  in  mathemat- 
ics; Lincoln  in  Latin;  Harkness  in  Greek  and  Latin; 
Chace  in  chemistry,  physiology  and  geology;  Dunn  in 
literature,  rhetoric  and  logic;  Caswell  in  physics,  solid 
geometry  and  astronomy  ;  Gammell  in  history;  and  Sears 
in  intellectual  and  moral  philosophy,  history  and  German. 

Professor  Harkness,  who  since  my  college  days  has 
become  through  his  editorial  work  the  teacher  of  scores 
of  thousands  of  American  youth,  and  has  done  more  per- 
haps than  any  other  American  scholar  to  make  classical 
studies  attractive  as  well  as  disciplinary  to  those  whom 
he  has  thus  indirectly  taught,  has  passed  away  full  of  years 
and  honors.  What  changes  of  method  professional  ex- 
perience and  independent  thought  may  have  led  him  to 
adopt  in  his  later  teaching,  I  do  not  know ;  but  in  my 
day  he  led  his  students  somewhat  slowly,  perhaps,  but 
patiently  and  surely,  by  the  systematic  iteration  involved 
in  a  daily  "  advance,"  "immediate  review"  and  "back  re- 
view," to  the  gradual  mastery  of  the  thought  and  the 
grammatical  structure  of  the  classical  texts  which  he  in- 
terpreted. One  of  the  best  proofs  I  can  give  that  his  in- 
struction was  profitable  to  me  is  the  fact  that,  after  I  had 
studied  Cicero's  essay  on  Friendship  under  him,  I  volun- 
tarily, and  for  pure  enjoyment,  spent  the  leisure  hours  of 
several  weeks  in  making,  for  permanent  preservation,  the 


224 


Memories  of  Brown 


best  translation  of  this  essay  that  such  skill  in  Latin  and 
English  as  I  was  master  of  enabled  me  to  make. 

Professor  Lincoln  was,  with  perhaps  a  single  exception, 
the  most  stimulating  and  inspiring  teacher  I  ever  had. 
He  carried  us  through  Livy,  Horace,  Juvenal  and  the  rest 


Professor  John  Peirce,  1856 
(Taken  about  1864) 

at  a  rattling  pace  and  with  steady  increase  of  appreciation 
and  enjoyment  on  our  part.  We  worked  for  him  as  for 
no  other  professor,  and  we  worked  willingly.  Not  a  mo- 
ment of  the  recitation  period  went  to  waste.  He  did  very 
little  reviewing,  but  gave  us  constantly  the  inspiration  of 
working  with  fresh  material.  He  not  only  led  us  to  an 
understanding  and  appreciation  of  Latin  literature,  but 
he  trained  us  in  Latin  composition  also.  I  remember  as 
among  the  pleasantest  experiences  of  my  college  life  the 


Memories  of  Brown  225 

rewarding  sense  of  satisfaction  with  which  I  occasionally 
read  "  optime  scriptum  "  written  in  his  hand  at  the  end  of 
a  piece  of  Latin  that  I  had  striven  hard  to  bring  to  the 
level  of  his  high  standard  of  excellence.  One  day  there 
was  to  be  a  baseball  match  between  the  Harvard  and 
Brown  nines  which  we  students  wished  to  attend,  but 
which  was  to  take  place  at  the  hour  fixed  for  our  Latin 
recitation.  Accordingly  we  addressed  to  him  a  petition 
in  Latin  asking  him  to  transfer  to  another  hour  the  lesson 
which  caused  the  conflict.  He  granted  our  request  in  the 
following  letter,  which  I  still  preserve  among  my  treasured 
possessions: 

Domino  Johanni  Tetlow  et  A  His. 

Discip2ili  et  commilitoucs  carissinii :  Vestras 
litteras  recepi  quibus,  ut  ludo  sophomorico  adsitis,  reci- 
tationem  Latinam  die  Mercurii  hora  post  preces  academi- 
cas  prima  habitam  velitis.  Cui  vestrae  voluntati  libenter 
obsequerer,  si  ilia  hora  vacuus  essem.  Quoniam  eo 
tempore  apud  meam  scholam  semper  occupatus  sum,  vos 
crastino  die  nona  hora  (vel  Anglice)  tertia  post  meridiem 
hora,  conveniam. 

Valete, 

J.  L.  Lincoln. 
Scribebam  ix.  Kal.  Jul.  MDCCCLXHL 

The  personality  of  Professor  Caswell  made  a  very 
strong  impression  on  me.  As  a  teacher  of  science  and  as 
a  performer  of  scientific  experiments,  indeed,  he  was  not 
to  be  compared  with  Chace.  Critical  experiments  often 
failed,  and  the  principle  they  illustrated  had  to  be  taken 
for  granted.  \  I  recall  one  occasion  on  which,  in  order  to 
give  ocular  demonstration  of  the  rotation  of  the  earth  on 
its  axis.  Professor  Caswell  had  suspended  a  cannonball 
by  a  wire  from  a  hook  in  the  ceiling,  that  it  might  swing 


226  Memories  of  Brown 

as  a  pendulum  from  the  point  of  support,  and  had  drawn 
a  chalk  line  on  the  floor  to  mark  the  line  of  oscillation 
which  the  cannonball  would  take  when  set  swinging  at 
the  beginning  of  the  recitation  hour.  At  the  close  of  the 
recitation  hour,  the  plane  of  oscillation  having  remained 


Theodore  M.  Hob;gand 

Instructor  in  French  1863-72 

(Taken  about  1869) 

constant,  the  deflection  of  the  line  of  oscillation  would 
give  ocular  evidence  of  the  intervening  rotation  of  the 
earth.  At  the  beginning  of  the  experiment,  the  cannon- 
ball  was  held  fast  by  a  string  at  one  extremity  of  the  arc 
of  vibration,  and  Professor  Caswell,  in  order  to  prevent  all 
possibility  of  jar,  proceeded  to  burn  the  string  instead  of 
cutting  it.  We  were  all  watching  with  eagerness  and  ex- 
pectancy, when  suddenly  the  wire  by  which  the  ball  was 


Memories  of  Brow7i  227 

suspended  broke,  and  the  ball  rolled  ignominiously  over 
the  floor  with  a  clatter  and  bang  almost  as  loud  and  dis- 
concerting as  the  applause  of  the  students  which  followed. 

Professor  Caswell  had  a  smile  which  expressed    pure 

benignity.     One  day, ,  a  classmate  of  mine, failed  on  a 

scholium  in  geometry,  and,  by  way  of  explanation  of  his 
failure,  said  that  he  had  read  the  scholium  carefully  but 
did  not  —  here  he  paused  and  looked  up  apologetically. 
"  Did  not  see  the  force  of  it?"  suggested  Caswell.     "  No, 

sir,"  said .     Caswell  leaned  over  his  table  and,  with 

the  most  genial  smile  of  encouragement,  said,  "Then 
we'll  take  it  in  its  weakness."  Even  the  fellow  who 
passed  the  hats  from  hand  to  hand  during  the  recitation 
hour,  and  piled  them  up  in  a  corner  for  the  owners  to  rush 
after  at  the  close  of  the  lesson,  could  not  help  loving  the 
dear  old  man. 

There  were  somewhat  more  than  two  hundred  students 
in  the  college  in  the  early  sixties,  and  yet  Professor  Dunn 
carried  all  the  work  of  the  English  department.  How  he 
did  it,  and  kept  alive,  I  can  hardly  understand.  Of  course 
we  had  no  daily  themes,  and,  except  during  the  prepara- 
tion of  essays  for  the  "  junior  exhibition  "  and  the  "  com- 
mencement exercises,"  we  had  no  personal  conferences 
with  the  professor  for  suggestion  and  criticism.  But  we 
took  down  from  dictation  lectures  on  the  "many  qualifi- 
cations which  conspire  to  make  a  good  writer,"  studied 
Campbell's  Philosophy  of  RJietoric  and  Thomson's  Laws 
of  Thought,  and  wrote  essays  and  original  speeches  at 
frequent  intervals  and  received  them  back  with  unmis- 
takable evidence  that  they  had  been  attentively  read  by  a 
competent  critic.  I  find  that  to  this  day,  in  giving  formal 
written  expression  to  my  thought,  I  frame  and  reconstruct 
with  constant  and  almost  automatic  reference  to  the  in- 
structions I  received  in  my  college  days  from  Professor 
Dunn. 


228  Memories  of  Brown 

So  far  as  I  can  now  recall,  I  did  not  study  history  in 
college  until  I  reached  senior  year.  Then  Professor 
Gammell  assigned  us  eight  pages  a  day  in  Guizot's  His- 
tory of  Civilization,  or  an  equivalent  amount  in  Hallam's 
Constitutional  History,  and  supplemented  our  memoriter 


Professor  Charles  W.  Parsons,  1848  honorary 
(Taken  about  1869) 

recitation  of  what  we  had  learned  with  comments  on  the 
subject  matter.  Those  were  illuminative  historical  works, 
and  to  understand  and  store  in  the  memory  their  contents 
was  a  valuable  mental  exercise ;  but,  before  the  end  of 
the  year,  we  came  under  the  instruction  of  a  different 
teacher,  who  trained  us  in  a  more  fruitful  method  of  study. 
This  was  Dr.  Sears,  the  president  of  the  college.  We  had 
some  trouble  with  Professor  Gammell,  the  details  and 
the  merits  of  which  I  have  long  since  forgotten ;  but  the 


Memories  of  Brown  229 

result  was  that  we  were  instructed  in  history  durins^  the 
remainder  of  the  year  by  the  president.  Immediately  we 
had  topics  assigned  us,  and  were  sent  to  the  library  for 
investigation,  with  instructions  to  report  on  our  several 
topics  at  subsequent  class  exercises.  The  contrast  between 
the  two  methods  was  marked  and  significant,  and  the  ef- 
fect of  the  change  most  salutary. 

Besides  teaching  us  history  during  this  final  year  of  our 
course,  Dr.  Sears  taught  us  also  intellectual  and  moral 
philosophy.  I  will  not  venture  to  pronounce  on  the 
quality  of  his  instruction  in  these  subjects.  I  carried 
away  from  it  the  impression  that  Dr.  Sears  was  a  very 
high-minded  and  a  very  learned  man ;  but  the  subjects 
themselves  did  not  appeal  to  me.  I  probably  was  not 
ready  for  them. 

Dr.  Sears  also  taught  us  German  during  the  first  half 
of  that  final  year  in  college.  In  those  days  —  and  we 
have  not  yet  wholly  abandoned  the  unnatural  order  of 
procedure  —  we  began  the  difficult  ancient  languages  in 
the  preparatory  school,  and  the  relatively  easy  modern 
languages  in  college.  We  had  studied  Latin  three  years, 
and  Greek  two,  before  entering  college ;  but  we  did  not 
begin  French  until  the  sophomore  year,  or  German  until 
the  senior  year  of  the  college  course.  Dr.  Sears  carried 
us  safe  over  the  German  forms  and  constructions,  and  at 
the  earliest  moment  possible  set  us  to  reading  the  German 
classics.  I  can  remember  reading  Schiller's  Wilhelni  Teh 
very  much  as  at  that  time  I  read  the  Greek  and  Latin 
classics, —  picking  out  the  words  that  belonged  together 
by  inspecting  their  terminations,  without  knowing  there 
were  any  fixed  principles  of  arrangement.  This  and 
other  experiences  have  convinced  me  that  the  progressive 
and  painstaking  work  on  forms  and  syntax  that  ensures 
accuracy  in  a  modern  foreign  language  is  more  appro- 
priate to  the  school  than  to  the  college.     It  was  in  history. 


230 


Memories  of  Brown 


rather  than  in  philosophy  or  in  German,  that  I  felt  most 
indebted  to  Dr.  Sears  as  an  instructor;  but  even  as  an 
instructor  in  history  his  influence  was  insignificant  when 
compared  with  the  influence  he  exerted  through  his  noble 
character  and  gracious  personality.     No  student  who  at- 


Rev.  William  Douglas,  1839 
Registrar  1864-79 
(Taken  about  1869) 

tended  Brown  University  during  the  presidency  of  Dr. 
Sears  could  fail  to  love  and  revere  him ;  and  no  graduate 
of  the  college  who  was  so  fortunate  as  to  have  spent  the 
final  year  of  the  college  course  under  his  personal  instruc- 
tion could  fail  to  carry  through  life  the  impress  of  his  high 
ideals  of  character  and  scholarship. 

Jo/iu  Tctloiu,  1S64. 


232  Memories  of  B. 


rown 


The  Beginnings  of  Baseball 
at  Brown 


THE  introduction  of  baseball  into  (shall  I  say)  the 
curriculum  of  Brown  University  was  one  of  the 
glorious  deeds  of  the  class  of  1865.  College  ath- 
letics were  formerly  confined  to  the  annual  scrim- 
mage on  the  campus  —  the  football  game  between  the 
sophomores  and  the  freshmen.  The  sophomores  were 
almost  always  successful,  but  the  class  of  1865  as  fresh- 
men won  a  notable  victory.  It  was  the  last  class  football 
game  on  the  campus.  When  the  class  of  1865  became 
sophomores  and  were  about  to  challenge  the  incoming 
class,  the  president  gave  a  fatherly  talk  to  us.  He  said 
that  the  faculty  was  determined  to  suppress  the  brutal 
game.  He  exhorted  us  voluntarily  to  break  up  the  custom. 
We  could  do  it  with  honor,  for  we  had  won  our  laurels  in 
the  game  of  1861,  and  no  one  could  doubt  our  powers. 
But,  he  continued,  if  we  insisted  upon  perpetuating  the 
custom,  we  would  be  prevented  from  engaging  any  further 
in  the  game.  We  therefore  very  reluctantly  gave  up  our 
plans. 

But  baseball  was  beginning  to  assume  a  scientific  char- 
acter and  was  becoming  a  favorite  pastime.  We  very 
gladly  practised  it  and  soon  became  proficient.  At  length 
our  club  challenged  one  of  the  city  clubs  (I  think  it  was 
called  the  Providence  Baseball  Club),  and  a  match  game 
was  played  on  the  Dexter  Training  Ground,  with  a  re- 
markable score.     Thus  encouraged,  our  club  challenged 


Memories  of  Brown  233 

the  best  club  in  town,  the  Dexters,  and  won  a  great  victory, 
and  henceforth  was  recognized  as  the  champion. 

We  used  to  have  an  eccentric  professor  of  French.  He 
was  an  exile,  a  member  of  the  French  National  Assembly 
of  1848,  a  friend  and  compatriot  of  Victor  Hugo.  Com- 
ing to  this  country,  he  earned  his  livelihood  by  teaching 
the  French  language  and  literature.  He  was  very  excit- 
able and  nervous.  It  was  said  that  his  regular  breakfast 
was  a  glass  of  beer  and  the  Providence  Journal.  He  es- 
pecially hated  Napoleon  HI,  and  used  indignantly  to  de- 
mand of  us,  when  we,  more  frequently  than  was  really 
necessary,  referred  to  that  mighty  potentate,  "  Who  was 
Napoleon  H  ?  "  Many  a  lesson  in  French  we  got  through 
with  ease  by  precipitating  a  discussion  on  French  politics 
or  public  affairs,  when  the  professor,  regardless  of  the  ap- 
pointed tasks,  occupied  all  the  time  in  excited  argument 
or  invective. 

The  French  recitation  room  was  on  the  first  floor  of 
University  Hall,  on  the  east  side.  It  so  happened  that 
some  one  of  the  baseball  club  took  his  position  on  the 
broad  seat  of  the  open  window,  instead  of  the  iron  chair, 
which  was  his  regular  place,  and  when  the  Frenchman's 
attention  was  fully  engaged,  the  athlete  swung  around,  put- 
ting his  legs  out  through  the  window,  and  let  himself 
down  to  the  ground  and  then  hastened  off  to  practice 
with  the  club  on  the  campus.  Then  another  and  another 
followed  in  the  same  manner.  "  Frenchie  "  now  and  then 
seemed  to  notice  that  there  was  something  unusual  going 
on,  but,  as  far  as  we  knew,  never  really  discovered  what 
it  was.  Perhaps  he  did,  though,  for  he  was  so  much  in- 
terested in  our  baseball  reputation  that  he  presented  our 
club  with  a  beautiful  silk  flag. 

Of  course  we  knew^  that  as  soon  as  we  were  the  cham- 
pions of  the  state  our  days  of  glory  were  numbered.  Very 
soon  a  challenge  was  received   from  the  Harvard   club. 


234 


Memories  of  Brow7i 


which  we  well  knew  would  be  invincible  in  any  struggle 
with  us.  But  we  promptly  accepted  it  and  determined  to 
make  the  event  as  distinguished  as  possible. 

The  game  was  played  on  the  Dexter  Training  Ground. 
A  large  attendance  of  friends,  and  especially  of  young 
ladies,  lent  honor  and  beauty  to  the  scene.  Seats  were 
provided  for  the  invited  guests.  The  Harvard  boys  were 
met  at  the  depot  and  escorted  to  the  field  in  barouches. 
The  American  Band  discoursed  fine  music  between  the 
innings,  and  a  banquet  closed  the  festivities  of  the  day. 
The  Harvards  won,  as  was  expected,  but  these  courtesies, 
although  they  became  quite  frequent  in  after  years,  were 
unknown  in  Providence  before. 

Succeeding  classes  continued  the  interest  in  baseball, 
and  soon  Brown  took  a  foremost  place  in  intercollegiate 
sports  and  won  many  trophies,  but  the  class  of  1865  l"'^s 
always  taken  great  satisfaction  in  the  fact  that  it  inaugu- 
rated baseball  athletics  at  Brown  University. 

Warren  R.  Perce,  iS6j. 


The  Newer  Brown 


Memories  of  Brow?i  235 


The  Hollow  Square 


ONE  morning  in  chapel  there  was  passed  along 
through  the  class  a  paper  containing  a  diagram, 
assigning  each  of  the  fellows  to  a  position  in  the 
usual  procession  to  the  recitation  room.  At 
prayers,  at  that  time,  the  president  always  conducted  the 
religious  service,  and  the  professors  occupied  chairs  on 
the  platform  at  the  right  and  left.  They  made  indeed  a 
formidable  array  of  the  faculty  of  Brown  University.  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  exercises,  one  professor  after  another 
went  out,  followed  by  his  class,  the  seniors,  of  course,  lead- 
ing the  other  classes,  and  so  on,  in  regular  order.  Thus 
the  several  detachments,  headed  by  the  professors,  repaired 
to  the  recitation  rooms. 

That  morning  the  class  of  1865  was  to  recite  first  in 
mathematics,  and  Professor  Caswell,  familiarly  called 
"  Cax,"  was  the  professor  in  charge.  On  leaving  the 
chapel,  every  man  at  once  assumed  the  position  indicated 
by  the  diagram,  and  proceeded  in  the  following  order 
from  Manning  Hall  to  Rhode  Island  Hall.  First  came 
a  short  column  of  twos,  then  a  large  hollow  square  formed 
around  the  professor,  and  then  a  short  column  of  twos. 
At  the  head  of  the  procession  was  Judson  in  command. 
All  the  fellows,  as  they  marched,  kept  time  by  short,  jerky 
pronouncementof  the  usual  military  formula, "  left, — left, — , 
left,  right,  left."  We  all  advanced  with  great  solemnity, 
the  tall  form  of  our  venerable  professor  in  the  midst.  He 
showed  no  surprise  or  embarassment. 


236 


Memories  of  Brown 


On  reaching  Rhode  Island  Hall,  the  body-guard  sepa- 
rated to  allow  our  distinguished  teacher  to  pass  out.  The 
class  obeyed  the  sharp  command  of  the  leader,  "  Close 
ranks,  front  face,  right  dress,  eyes  front." 

Professor  Caswell  mounted  the  steps  of  the  building, 


Alexis  Caswell,  1822 
President  of  the  University,  1868-72 


removed  his  hat,  looked  gravely  up  and  down  the  line  as 
if  inspecting  it,  and  gave  the  command,  "  Forward,  into 
your  barracks,  march  !  " 
And  we  did. 

Warren  R.  Perce,  iSS^. 


Memories  of  Brow?i  237 


The  Tale  of  the  Bonnet 


THE  early  summer  of  1863  was  a  time  of  great 
anxiety  in  the  Northern  States.  The  Confederate 
army  was  pressing  its  way  into  Pennsylvania  and 
a  draft  to  recruit  the  Union  ranks  was  impending. 
A  rebel  privateer,  the  Tacoiiey,  appeared  late  in  June  off 
the  New  England  coast,  and  on  Sunday  morning,  June 
28,  1863,  the  alarming  news  was  spread  throughout  the 
city  that  this  terrible  vessel  was  steaming  up  the  bay  to 
Providence,  without  any  opposition  whatever.  No  de- 
fence of  any  kind  was  possible.  The  west  passage  of 
Narragansett  Bay,  a  wide,  straight  waterway,  the  best  en- 
trance of  all,  the  one  most  commonly  traversed  by  ocean 
steamships  and  large  sailing  vessels,  was  absolutely  un- 
protected. There  was  nothing  to  prevent  this  much- 
dreaded  warship  from  steaming  straight  into  Providence 
harbor  and  doing  its  work  of  destruction. 

The  rumor  of  the  rapid  approach  of  the  Taconey 
reached  Providence  while  the  church  bells  were  ringing 
for  Sabbath  morning  worship,  and  it  produced  wide-spread 
consternation  and  even  terror.  The  governor,  James  Y. 
Smith,  immediately  ordered  the  Marine  Corps  of  Artil- 
lery to  proceed  down  the  bay  to  throw  up  fortifications 
for  the  protection  of  the  city.  It  was,  of  course,  very  soon 
ascertained  that  the  rumor  was  unfounded,  yet  the  sense 
of  the  helplessness  of  the  city  and  of  the  towns  and  vil- 
lages along  the  shores  of  the  bay  was  intensified,  and  the 
battery  went  to  the  high  bluff  on  the  west  side  of  the  west 
passage,  called  the  "  Bonnet,"  and  began  the  construction 
of  small  earthworks. 


238  Memories  of  Brown 

The  next  morning,  Monday,  it  was  announced  that  the 
governor  contemplated  sending  a  company  of  infantry  to 
support  the  battery.  This  report  was  eagerly  spread 
through  the  college,  and  a  suggestion  was  soon  offered 
that  it  would  be  a  grand  idea  if  the  governor  would  select 
our  college  company  for  this  service.  The  company  was 
called  the  "  University  Cadets."  It  was  a  large,  strong, 
enthusiastic  company  of  infantry,  fairly  well  uniformed, 
finely  drilled,  and  under  the  command  of  Captain  John 
Tetlow. 

The  suggestion  was  promptly  adopted  and  great  enthu- 
siasm prevailed,  all  the  more  because  the  term  examina- 
tions were  at  hand  and  cramming  had  already  begun.  If 
we  were  oi^dcred  to  perform  this  highly  important  and  very 
valuable  military  duty,  of  course,  no  term  examinations 
could  possibly  be  demanded.  Thus,  true  patriotism 
and  our  individual  wishes  all  impelled  us  to  cherish  the 
hope  that  Co.  I,  R.  I.  Militia  (that  was  our  military  desig- 
nation) would  be  ordered  to  support  the  artillery  at  the 
Bonnet. 

A  committee,  self-nominated,  if  not  self-appointed, 
hastily  interviewed  the  governor  and  returned  with  a  very 
satisfactory  report.  Presently  our  order  came,  detailing 
Co.  I,  R.  I.  M.,  to  take  the  field  and  to  fortify  the  Bonnet. 
The  college  boys  were  highly  elated  and  the  enthusiasm 
was  tremendous.  Duke  et  dcconini  est  pro  patria,  etc. 
That  was  good  ancient  and  good  modern  common  sense. 
The  faculty,  however,  thought  differently  and  did  not 
share  at  all  in  these  high  and  ennobling  sentiments. 
"  But,  gentlemen,"  expostulated  one  of  them,  "  remember 
the  examinations.  You  must  not  go.  The  examinations  ! 
The  examinations  ! "  To  this  came  the  calm  reply,  ''  It 
is  our  duty.  We  are  commanded  by  the  governor  to  per- 
form this  service.  The  city,  the  state,  are  in  peril.  We 
have  no  choice  in  this  matter." 


Memories  of  Brown  239 

And  so  \vc  went.  We  left  our  mothers  and  our  sisters 
and  our  sweethearts,  and  the  dear,  dear  members  of  the 
faculty.  Why  heed  the  parting  tears  and  the  futile  api:)eal 
to  remain  .^  These  only  made  the  experience  the  more 
real  and  exciting.  It  made  our  self-sacrifice  interesting 
and  exquisitely  delightful. 

We  joyfully  donned  the  ill-fitting  uniforms  furnished  by 
the  state,  and  sailed  away  on  the  large  tugboat  approj^ri- 
ately  named  the  Auicricau  Uiiioii,  and  late  in  the  after- 
noon reached  South  Ferry,  where  we  disembarked.  On 
the  voyage  down  the  west  passage  our  little  boat  was 
passed  by  a  large  steamship,  a  United  States  transport, 
bringing  home  to  Providence  the  nth  Rhode  Island 
Regiment,  whose  term  of  service  had  expired.  These 
many  hundreds  of  returning  soldiers  lustily  cheered  us, 
the  noble  few,  men  in  blue,  their  companions  in  arms,  who 
were  beginning  our  military  service. 

On  arriving  at  the  ferry,  we  proceeded  in  heavy  march- 
ing order  along  the  road  and  over  the  rough  fields  to  the 
crest  of  the  bluff.  There  the  belching  cannon  roared  a 
welcome,  the  old  fiag  flapped  with  conscious  pride  as  we 
approached,  and  a  company  of  uniformed  militia  from  the 
neighboring  towns  (which  had  hastily  assembled  the  pre- 
vious Sunday  to  hold  the  fort — after  it  was  made — until 
the  arrival  of  regularly  detailed  troops)  was  drawn  up  and 
received  us  with  due  military  honors. 

The  tents  were  pitched  in  a  single  row  parallel  to  the 
several  rows  of  tents  occupied  by  the  artillerymen.  The 
men  of  the  larger  fraternities  messed  together.  The  bat- 
tery occupied  hastily  formed  earthworks  on  the  very 
edge  of  the  cliff.  Day  after  day,  squads  of  men  worked 
with  picks  and  spades  in  throwing  up  a  fortification,  and 
the  cannon  were  placed  in  position.  Some  artillery 
practice  was  engaged  in.  Rarely  could  a  cannonball  be 
fired  across  the  passage.     Occasionally  one  could  be  seen 


240  Memories  of  B 


rown 


striking  into  the  soil  of  the  Conanicut  shore,  but,  for  the 
most  part,  the  shot  fell  into  the  water.  Several  times 
shots  were  fired  across  the  bows  of  the  New  York  propel- 
lers passing  out  to  sea,  for -the  reason,  as  it  was  stated, 
that  they  did  not  salute  the  flag.  These  vessels  were 
well-known  and  were  used  mostly  for  freight,  though 
carrying  a  very  few  passengers.  Such  as  were  so  forcibly 
assailed  swung  round,  slowed  up,  tooted  a  salute,  dis- 
played the  national  flag  and  were  allowed  to  sail  out  to 
sea.  Just  why  these  peaceful  and  well-known  vessels 
should  be  fired  at,  especially  when  they  were  headed  sea- 
ward, is  one  of  the  unsettled  questions  of  history.  Be- 
sides this  diversion,  the  sunrise  gun  and  the  sunset  gun 
saluted  the  flag  as  it  was  hoisted  and  lowered  daily  with- 
in the  little  fort.  Thus  it  was  seen  that  the  American 
flag  was  properly  honored  and  cared  for  during  those 
trying  days. 

Our  men,  when  not  serving  on  the  digging  squads,  did 
guard  duty,  being  divided  into  proper  reliefs,  and  these 
were  on  guard  for  a  day  and  a  night  in  regular  rotation, 
and  all  off  duty  the  succeeding  day.  We  paced  back  and 
forth  for  hours,  very  frequently  in  the  dense  sea-fogs,  peer- 
ing out  into  the  darkness  or  mists  and  loudly  shouting  for 
the  corporal  of  the  guard  whenever  occasion  required,  or 
anything  suspicious  was  seen  toward  or  on  the  sea.  On  the 
next  day  after  guard  duty  much  time  was  spent  in  scour- 
ing the  rifle  barrels,  which  had  become  rusty  by  exposure 
to  the  salt  air  and  fog. 

On  July  2  it  was  announced  that  a  certain  number  of 
our  company  would  be  allowed  to  go  to  the  city  on  the 
third  and  to  return  on  the  fifth.  There  were  so  many 
applications  for  the  furlough,  that  lots  were  drawn  in  the 
different  messes  to  determine  who  should  go.  The  for- 
tunate ones  piled  into  an  army  wagon  and  thumped  and 
bumped  and  clung  on  in  every  way  over  a  nine-mile  jour- 


Memories  of  Brown  24 1 

ney  in  the  successful  effort  to  reach  the  depot  in  time  for 
the  train,  notwithstanding  the  departure  from  camp  liad 
been  dangerously  delayed. 

Every  day  the  tug  which  brought  us  to  camp  plied  back 
and  forth  between  Providence  and  South  Ferry  carrying 
supplies,  but  principally,  if  the  statement  of  a  newspaper 
correspondent  in  the  neighboring  village  was  correct, 
barrels  of  water,  which,  he  said,  were  carried  past  one  of 
the  finest  springs  of  water  in  the  town.  The  water  was 
brought  in  whiskey  barrels,  and,  being  long  exposed  to 
the  heat  of  the  sun,  was  thoroughly  impregnated  with  an 
unpalatable  and  unfamiliar  flavor. 

The  food  in  camp  was  suf^cient  in  quantity,  but  of 
poor  quality  and  no  variety.  Many  eked  out  their  sup- 
plies by  suppers  at  a  neighboring  farmhouse.  One  of 
our  men,  who  had  seen  better  days,  complained  grievous- 
ly about  the  regular  camp  rations.  He  said  that  he  could 
not  eat  bread  without  butter,  nor  drink  coffee  without 
cream,  and  on  disentangling  a  long  hair  (crinis  humana) 
from  the  meat,  on  one  occasion,  did  not  care  for  any  more 
food  just  then.  Such  stories  of  privation  are  scarcely  be- 
lievable, but  my  duty  as  a  chronicler  of  this  important 
epoch  in  history  requires  me  to  make  the  simple  statement 
and  let  those  believe  it  who  can. 

Foraging  parties  were  soon  common,  although  all  food 
procured  was  fully  paid  for  at  prices  fixed  by  the  venders 
thereof.  One  party,  led  by  Judson,  foraged  as  far  away 
as  Wakefield.  Stopping  at  a  cottage  where  there  was  an 
unfavorable  response  to  his  appeal,  he  inquired  of  the 
lady  of  the  house  what  was  the  name  of  the  village.  She 
replied,  "  Wakefield."  "Indeed,"  said  he,  "perhaps  you 
can  direct  us  to  an  old  friend  of  ours,  the  Vicar  of  Wake- 
field." "  I  don't  know'  as  I  can,"  was  the  reply.  "  There 
is  a  new  family  who  moved  into  the  house  yonder  a  few 


242  Memories  of  Brown 

days  ago.  I  don't  know  their  name.  Perhaps  they  are 
the  folks  you  are  looking  for." 

Our  days  were  for  the  most  part  spent  in  frequent  drills 
and  in  various  camp  duties,  but  sometimes  at  night  there 
were  unexpected  and  exciting  experiences.  How  the 
sutler's  tent  and  supplies  went  down  over  the  edge  of  the 
rocky  cliff  is  not  clearly  explained  in  the  annals  of  his- 
tory, and  opinions  and  theories  differ.  It  was  probably 
due  to  the  force  of  gravitation,  assisted  somewhat  by 
moving  forces  of  human  origin.  But  the  last  night  we 
were  in  camp  there  was  (almost)  a  very  dreadful  attack. 

As  the  danger  passed  which  had  brought  together 
these  military  forces  to  the  hitherto  peaceful  and  flower- 
bedecked  Bonnet,  and  the  excitement  had  consequently 
subsided,  many  members  of  the  artillery  company  re- 
turned home  and  filled  their  places  with  substitutes,  who 
were  for  the  most  part  foreigners.  These  were  disposed 
to  be  troublesome  and  offensive.  The  ofificer  in  com- 
mand thought  it  best  not  to  allow  these  substitutes  the 
use  of  side-arms  or  guns  when  on  guard  duty,  but  they 
were  armed  with  cord-wood  sticks  for  clubs,  which 
doubtless  at  close  range  would  be  really  effective  weapons 
in  their  hands.  I  suppose  there  was  powder  and  shot 
enough  somewhere  in  camp.  Certainly  there  was  enough 
to  warm  up  the  cannon  occasionally,  but  I  do  not  remem- 
ber that  a  single  rifle  cartridge  was  seen  there  by  the  in- 
fantrymen. In  any  encounter  with  Confederate  troops 
we  should  have  been  obliged  to  drive  them  off  with 
sabres,  bayonets,  gunstocks  and  clubs,  or,  if  they  should 
choose  to  sneak  up  the  bay  in  their  dreadful  ship  in  order 
to  avoid  such  a  conflict  with  us,  the  men  who  happened 
to  know  how  to  load  and  fire  a  cannon  would  have  blazed 
away  at  them  and  hit  them,  if  possible.  On  so  slender  a 
defence  did  the  great  city  of  Providence,  once  upon  a 
time,  depend  ! 


Memories  of  Brown  243 

Well,  to  go  on  with  the  terrible  history  of  that  last 
night  in  camp.  There  had  been  trouble  brewing  for  sev- 
eral days.  The  artillerymen  were  much  offended  be- 
cause the  college  boys  were  served  with  rations  before 
they  were,  and  they  believed  that  the  collegians  had  the 
most  and  the  best-  The  rations  were  poor  enough,  but 
there  was  no  favoritism  shown,  as  far  as  we  were  aware. 
This  bad  feeling  reached  a  climax  at  supper  time  the  last 
day.  Threats  had  been  freely  made  and  some  missiles 
were  thrown  by  the  artillerymen  at  the  infantrymen. 
Company  I,  R.  I.  M.,  slept  on  their  arms  all  night  and 
the  guards  did  careful  work.  Neither  of  the  prospective 
combatants  had  any  ammunition,  it  is  true,  but  the  imagi- 
nation reels  at  the  battle  scene  it  conjures  up,  and  the 
conflict  between  two  mighty  and  determined  forces,  one 
armed  with  cord-w^ood  sticks  and  the  other  with  empty 
rifles  and  sabre  bayonets,  is  too  dreadful  to  contemplate, 
and  fortunately  did  not  take  place. 

As  soon  as  it  was  known  that  our  term  of  service  was 
.about  to  end  (we  were  in  service  fourteen  days)  those 
awful  examinations,  for  which  we  were  now  wholly  un- 
prepared, loomed  up  portentously.  Our  classmates  who 
had  not  enlisted  were  safely  past  that  ordeal  and  had  de- 
parted to  their  homes  to  enjoy  the  summer  vacation. 
They  had  earned  good  marks  for  their  examination  work 
wherewith  to  brace  up  the  general  average.  We  could 
not  help  envying  them. 

We  met  and  deliberated,  and,  in  solemn  convention  as- 
sembled, we  "  resolved  "  that  in  consideration  of  our  loyal 
service  to  the  state  in  its  time  of  great  peril  we  ought  to 
be  excused  from  the  term  examinations.  These  resolu- 
tions were  communicated  to  the  faculty,  I  presume,  and 
what  did  those  dear  professors  do  ?  Why,  they  just 
made  us  take  those  examinations  at  the  beginning  of  the 
next  term ! 


244  Memories  of  Brown 

We  used  often  in  the  last  days  of  our  campaign,  when 
the  first  ardor  of  patriotism  had  shghtly  abated  and  the 
state  of  our  country's  finances  became  a  more  interesting 
subject,  to  discuss  the  question.  Who  would  pay  us  for 
our  military  services,  and  especially  how  much  ?  We  let 
X  equal  the  unknown  quantity,  but  nothing  in  mathemat- 
ics, higher  or  lower,  enabled  us  to  solve  the  problem. 
Some  argued  that  as  we  were  state  troops,  we  ought  to 
receive  state  pay,  which  we  understood  was  a  goodly  sum, 
comparatively  speaking.  Others  thought  that  we  would 
receive  only  the  compensation  allowed  to  United  States 
soldiers.  The  former  argument  was  decidedly  the  more 
reasonable  and  convincing.  However,  when,  some  days 
later,  we  went  out  to  raid  the  treasury,  we  were  paid  for 
all  these  services  hereinbefore  faithfully  chronicled,  each 
private  receiving  the  sum  of  $S'^Z- 

This  explains  a  song  of  the  period,  w^hich  was  some- 
times heard  upon  the  campus : 

We  all  went  down  to  West  Passage 

For  five  and  sixty-three, 
We  all  went  down  to  West  Passage 

For  five  and  sixty-three. 

We  won't  pass  examinations, 

Oh,  no  !  not  we,  not  we. 
We  all  went  down  to  West  Passage 

For  five  and  sixty-three. 

The  tune  of  this  thrilling  song  was  the  one  long  previ- 
ously dedicated  to  the  history  of  the  famous  journey  to 
the  Seekonk. 

So  what  promised  to  be  a  fine  American  eagle  turned 
out  to  be  only  a  big  lark. 

Warren  R.  Perce,  186^. 


Memories  of  Brown 


245 


The  Water  Procession 


'N  the  Academic  year  1867-68  the  only  water 
supply  for  the  dormitories  in  Hope  College 
came  from  the  old  well  in  the  rear  of  the 
building,  which  was  then  covered  by  the 
orthodox  well-house  with  its  "old  oaken 
kWi  bucket  "  and  rope.     During  that  year,  which 

HI  is  recalled  as  a  period  of  unusual  lawlessness 

(^^  among  the  students,  the  said  bucket's  period- 

l^fiL^  ical    disappearances   caused   great  inconven- 

ience to  those  rooming  in  the  old  college.  A 
new  bucket  and  rope  being  missing  a  few 
days  after  their  installation,  the  registrar  de- 
clined to  replace  them,  taking  the  stand  that 
it  was  the  duty  of  those  who  were  responsible  for  their 
removal  to  return  them,  though  investigation  had  failed, 
as  usual,  to  implicate  any  of  the  undergraduates.  As  the 
days  passed  without  relief,  the  murmurs  of  discontent 
grew  into  indignant  protests  both  loud  and  deep,  but  the 
bucket  and  rope  still  remained  conspicuous  by  their  ab- 
sence. One  day  a  printed  handbill  appeared  on  the  trees 
and  fences  of  the  vicinity,  reading  as  follows :  "  To  whom 
it  may  concern.  If  the  bucket  and  rope  are  not  replaced 
in  the  well  by  three  o'clock  P.  M.  on  (date  forgotten)  the 
'  water  procession '  will  form  on  the  rear  campus  at  that 
time."  Much  discussion  and  inquiry  failed  to  throw  any 
further  light  on  the  matter,  but  as  the  appointed  time 
drew  near  and  still  no  bucket,  there  was  a  feeling  that  the 
affair  was  to  reach  a  climax  in  some  way. 


246  Memories  of  Brown 

When  the  hour  arrived  no  one  was  to  be  seen  on  the 
campus,  but  within  five  minutes  nearly  all  the  students 
had  assembled,  each  carrying  some  water-holding  utensil, 
and  great  was  the  variety:  Cups,  mugs,  basins,  bowls, 
pitchers,  bottles,  pails,  tubs,  jars,  and  other  vessels  not 
usually  so  prominently  displayed,  were  all  in  evidence. 
The  American  Brass  Band  appeared  and,  striking  up  a 
popular  tune,  led  the  line  of  march  down  College  street. 
In  the  lead  were  eight  men,  each  carrying  a  bucket  in  one 
hand  and  a  coil  of  rope  in  the  other,  and  behind  them 
four  (of  whom  the  writer  was  one)  carrying  on  their  heads 
a  large  round,  old-fashioned,  tin  bath-tub.  A  halt  was 
made  at  the  ancient  pump  which  then  ornamented  the 
centre  of  College  street,  and  all  the  vessels  were  filled,  the 
procession  then  taking  its  way  down  the  hill,  up  West- 
minster street,  and  down  Weybosset,  the  citizens  stopping 
to  smile  and  wonder  what  it  was  all  about,  for  student 
parades  were  not  then  so  common  an  occurrence  as  they 
have  since  become.  Returning  through  Market  square 
and  North  Main  and  Waterman  streets,  the  head  of  the 
line  had  reached  the  old  stable  on  Benefit  street,  between 
Waterman  and  College,  when  Professor  Chace  (then  act- 
ing president  of  the  university)  came  along,  and  like 
others  halted  on  the  curbstone  to  see  what  event  was  be- 
ing celebrated.  The  writer  (who  marched  by  within  a 
few  feet  of  him)  well  remembers  the  sudden  change  which 
came  over  his  austere  countenance,  from  a  smile  of  casual 
interest  to  a  gasp  of  amazement,  terminating  in  a  severe 
frown,  as  he  turned  and  strode  as  rapidly  as  his  dignity 
allowed  around  the  corner  and  up  College  Hill.  A  few 
minutes  later  he  had  taken  a  position  on  the  steps  of  the 
library  and  the  procession,  having  burst  open  the  old 
wooden  gates  and  singing,  "  You'll  never  miss  the  water 
till  the  well  runs  dry  "  came  to  a  halt  in  front  of  him.  As 
the  working  of  his  features  showed  that  he  was  struggling 


Memories  of  Brown  247 

with  varying  emotions,  the  band  was  ordered  to  stop  play- 
ing and  a  cry  of  "  Hats  off"  (which  was  at  once  obeyed) 
was  followed  by  a  short  interval  of  silence.  The  writer 
regrets  his  inabiHty  to  recall  with  accuracy  the  remarks 
which  our  honored  president  ad  interim  then  niade  to 
his  insubordinate  pupils,  but  his  memory  is  clear  that  they 
were  not  spoken  "  more  in  sorrow  then  in  anger"  but 
distinctly  vice  versa. 

He  closed  with  an  imperative  command  to  disperse  to 
our  rooms  and  await  the  dire  punishment  of  all  concerned, 
which,  after  giving  three  cheers  for  "  Prexy  "  and  smash- 
ing all  our  earthenware  on  the  stone  steps  of  the  library 
and  leaving  the  place  looking  like  a  crockery  store  just 
after  being  visited  by  a  cyclone,  we  concluded  to  obey, 
though  echoes  of  the  cry,  "  Bucket,  bucket,  who's  got  the 
bucket }  "  continued  to  be  heard  around  the  campus  for 
some  time  afterwards. 

The  investigation  which  followed  the  next  day  resulted 
in  the  suspension  of  several  of  the  participants  and  also 
the  suspension  (by  the  authorities)  of  a  brand  new  bucket 
in  the  well  by  a  brand  new  rope,  the  former  suspension 
happily  being  temporary,  and  the  latter  equally  happily 
being  permanent.  Such  was  the  famous  "water  pro- 
cession," which  will  be  recalled  as  a  pleasant  memory  by 
many  gray-haired  men  who  read  these  lines. 

Robert  B.  Metcalf,  1870. 


248  Memories  of  Brown 


In  the  Days  of  Seventy 


THE  class  of  1870  was  always  a  remarkable  class. 
It  was,  even  in  its  freshman  year,  a  very  old- 
looking  class.  More  than  half  a  dozen  men  wore 
full  beards,  and  "  side-tabs  "  and  moustaches  were 
everywhere  in  evidence.  We  had  some  dozen  veterans  of 
the  Civil  War  in  our  ranks,  many  of  whom  had  been  com- 
missioned officers.  Several  limped  from  wounds,  and  one 
(E.  Benjamin  A.)  had  lost  an  eye.  We  had  a  proper 
sense  of  our  own  importance,  and,  strangely  enough,  the 
college  as  a  whole  seemed  to  take  us  collectively  at  our 
own  valuation.  Possibly  the  fact  that  we  had  more  sol- 
diers than  any  other  class  may  have  had  something  to  do 
with  determining  our  status.  Then,  too,  we  were  always 
first  in  athletics.  Class  spirit  ran  high  and  we  gloried  in 
our  strength.  Alas  that  this  "  class  spirit "  which  we 
valued  so  highly,  and  which  welded  together  the  men  of 
"  Seventy  "  as  few  classes  were  ever  joined  before,  is  now 
impossible  in  this  confusing  age  of  "  electives." 

We  knew  our  instructors  better  than  students  know 
their  teachers  today.  Twelve  men  made  up  our  teaching 
body.  Seven  were  professors,  including  the  president, 
who  was  also  the  instructor  in  German.  They  were  Sears, 
Chace,  Lincoln,  Dunn,  Greene,  Harkness  and  Diman. 
Clarke,  Appleton  and  Hobigand  were  instructors.  There 
was  an  "  assistant  to  the  professor  of  chemistry,"  and  also 
an  "  assistant  instructor  in  analytical  chemistry."  A  libra- 
rian and  a  "  register,"  who  was  a  kind  of  connecting  link  be- 
tween "  Archibald  "  and  Mr.  Guild,  as  far  as  his  functions 


A/, 


em  ones 


o/B 


row?i 


249 


went,  completed  the  university  outfit.  Compare  it  with  the 
fifty-three  professors  and  the  two  additional  pages  of  in- 
structors and  other  officers  in  our  last  catalogue  and  realize 
how  the  university  has  grown  in  forty  years.  There  were 
six  buildings:  University,  Hope,  Manning,  Rhode  Island, 
the  chemical  laboratory,  and  the  president's  house,  and. 


President  E.  Benjamin  Andrews,  1870 
(Class  picture) 


with  the,  let  us  hope,  possible  exception  of  the  president's 
house,  there  was  not  a  bath-room  in  the  lot.  It  was  before 
the  days  of  city  water.  Our  water  supply  came  from  two 
wells,  one  of  which  was  confessedly  contaminated  by  a 
neighboring  cesspool.  The  other,  behind  Hope  College, 
on  the  back  campus,  was  furnished  with  a  wooden  curb 


250 


Memories  of  Brown 


and  a  bucket.  This  curb  used  not  infrequently  to  fur- 
nish an  example  of  "  spontaneous  combustion  "  and  was 
wont  to  go  up,  or  rather  down,  in  smoke.  Hope  Col- 
lege was  f/ie  dormitory,  but  the  rooms  upon  its  lowest 
floor  had  been  made  habitable  only  with  the  entrance  of 
our  class.  There  were  no  closets  in  it.  (There  were 
none  in  any  of  the  old  New  England  college  buildings  in 
those  days.)     Not  until  the  summer  of    1866  were   any 


Hope  College,  1870 


"  sinks  "  (so-called)  placed  in  the  halls,  not  rooms,  of  Hope. 
Until  that  year  the  students  were  accustomed  to  empty 
their  wash-basins  from  the  windows  of  their  rooms,  as  did 
those  of  the  University  of  Paris  in  mediaeval  days.  And 
so  the  early  morning  experience  of  Louis  IX  of  France, 
Saint  Louis,  was  not  unusual  to  the  sinners  of  Providence. 
Under  such  conditions  it  is  not  remarkable  that  typhoid 
fever  claimed  many  victims.  We  lost  a  man  a  year  for 
three  years,  and  the  mortality  in  other  classes  was  like 


M. 


emortes  Oi 


B 


rown 


25 


ours.     There  has  been  a  mighty  change  in  the  sanitary 
arrangements  of  the  university  in  forty  years. 

The  middle  campus  was  our  playground.  The  "  home 
base  "  was  on  a  line  drawn  from  the  rear  door  of  Manning 
to  the  laboratory,  and  once  or  twice  in  my  baseball  ex- 
perience the  ball  was  knocked  thence  into  George  street. 
We  were  always  sure  of  a  "crowd  of  witnesses  around" 


The  Champion  Nine  of   1870 

E.  F.  Fales,     C.  H.Bowker,     H.T.Taylor.     F.  B.  Grant, 
J.  B.  F.  Herreshoff,  W.H.Munro.  C.Hitchcock, 

R.S.COLWELL,  A.  H.  Matteson. 

when  we  practised.  One  exploit,  "  quorum  pars  magna 
fui,"  occasioned  tumultuous  applause.  With  one  "foul 
strike  "  eight  panes  of  glass  were  broken.  Never  did  a 
hit  meet  with  more  general  commendation.  The  one  dis- 
cordant note  in  the  chorus  of  approval  came  from  the 
first  baseman.  He  roomed  in  the  broken  paned  apart- 
ment!    ( Do  you  remember  it?     O  Freshie  Fales ! )     Of 


252 


Memories  of  Brown 


course  the  stroke  was  a  chance  one.     Many  of  our  greatest 
successes  are. 

Secret  societies  were  even  more  powerful   then   than 


First  Baptist  Meetinghouse,  1870 


now.  Lines  were  sharply  drawn  between  the  fraternity 
men  and  the  "  Oudens  "  (a  man  who  did  not  belong  to 
any  society  was  an  oudh).  The  first  number  of  the  Liber 
Brunensis  was  published  in  the  senior  year  of  the  class  of 


Mi 


e?norie5 


of  Bro 


W7l 


253 


'70.  The  Brown  Paper,  a  four  or  eight  page  sheet,  had 
been  the  fraternity  organ  up  to  that  time.  The  Delta  U 
society  that  same  year  published  a  book  of  their  own,  the 
"  Caduceus." 

The  great  scholastic  event  of  the  academic  year  was  the 
junior  exhibition.  It  came  about  Easter  time.  Eight 
or  ten  juniors  were  selected  because  of  scholarship  or  ora- 
torical ability  to  "pronounce  orations"  from  the  stage  of 
Manning  Hall.     Many  maidens,  attired   in   Easter  hats 


University  Hall,  1870 


and  things,  were  wont  to  attend.  Two  programmes  were 
usually  published  for  these  exhibitions.  The  oflficial  one, 
distributed  by  the  ushers  in  the  hall,  was  always  severely 
formal.  There  was  not  much  that  was  formal  about  the 
"  mock  programme  ; "  sometimes  it  was  witty  and  worth 
preserving.  At  other  times  it  was  vile.  The  undergrad- 
uates valued  "junior  ex"  much  more  than  commence- 
ment. "  Class  day  "  had  not  developed  to  the  great  func- 
tion it  now  is. 


254 


Mi 


em  ones 


o/B 


rown 


Only  a  few  of  the  rooms  enjoyed  the  blessing  of  gas. 
We  of  Hope  were  of  the  elect.  We  formed  an  associa- 
tion which  was  embalmed  in  the  Liber.  The  mystic  let- 
ters H.  C.  G.  L.  A.  may  there  be  seen  surrounding  a  skull 
and  crossbones,  the  letters  standing  for  Hope  College  Gas 
Light  Association,  Singularly  enough,  the  one  really 
important  office  in  the  association,  that  of  treasurer,  always 
went  to  a  freshman.  This  may  have  been  because  the 
treasurer  was  responsible  to  the  gas  company  for  the  bills, 


Back  Campus, 
Looking  East,  1870 


and  was  supposed  to  collect  them,  pro  rata,  from  his  fel- 
lows. If  these  did  not  pay,  then,  like  the  Roman  Curial 
of  old,  the  treasurer  was  forced  to  make  up  the  deficiency  — 
and  thereby  hangs  a  tale. 

We  had  an  excellent  lot  of  treasurers  while  I  was  an 
occupant  of  23  Hope,  but  the  years  following  my  gradua- 
tion saw  a  change.  The  freshman  one  year  was  not  suf- 
ficiently alive  to  the  dignity  of  his  office  to  use  his  own 
money  for  satisfying  the  moderate  demands  of  the  gas 
company,  so  the  meter  was  removed  from  the  hall  of  the 


M, 


emortes 


o/B 


rown 


Ibb 


North  Division  and  the  supply  of  gas  cut  off.  Some 
months  afterward  the  official  who  had  taken  out  the  meter, 
happening  to  pass  by  Hope  at  night,  saw  that  the  edifice 
was  even  more  brilliantly  illuminated  than  in  the  olden 
days.  He  was  moved  to  make  mention  of  the  phenome- 
non at  the  office  of  the  company  the  next  morning.  In- 
vestigation disclosed  the  fact  that  it  had  occurred  to  some 
not  abnormally  bright  student  that  a  rubber  tube  applied 


Middle  Campus,  1870 


to  the  pipe  which  had  been  used  for  conveying  gas  to  the 
meter,  and  then  attached,  as  to  its  other  end,  to  the  pipe 
across  the  hall  which  conveyed  g2is/rofn  the  meter,  might 
serve  all  purposes  of  illumination  quite  as  well  (if  not  bet- 
ter) than  if  the  gas  were  sent  through  the  meter  in  the 
orthodox  way.  The  next  night  saw  Hope  once  more 
shrouded  in  darkness. 

Wilfred  H.  Muuro,  iSyo. 


256  Memories  of  B?^own 


The  Old  College  Well 


THOSE  who  were  fortunate  enough  to  graduate 
from  Brown  in  the  early  seventies,  or  before, 
were  famihar  with  the  two  wells  on  the  middle 
campus.  A  bar  sinister  was  on  the  escutcheon 
of  one,  so  all  the  tide  of  life  surged  around  the  one  back 
of  Hope  College.  Hither  came  one  and  all  to  drink  and 
to  secure  pailfuls  for  all  domestic  purposes ;  here  they 
lingered  to  get  or  give  such  gossip  as  might  be  floating 
in  the  air.  Here  were  discussed  free  will  and  predestina- 
tion, the  personality  of  the  devil  and  the  abomination  of 
the  new  doctrine  of  evolution.  The  old  well  was  a  free-to- 
all  platform  and  no  one  could  be  put  out  as  a  dissenter. 
The  old  well-curb  told  no  tales,  no  serfs  nor  slaves  of 
Pluto  could  force  it  to  divulge  the  conspiracies  hatched 
beneath  its  shadowy  protection.  Its  serenity  was  only 
disturbed  when  the  water  in  the  bucket  rippled  into  a 
smile  to  hear  some  high-collared  sophomore  tell  of  the 
tortures  preparing  for  his  victims  ;  or  some  vainglorious 
freshman  narrate  his  heroic  defence  and  escape  from  the 
torturers.  All  paths  led  to  the  old  well ;  here  met  the  con- 
tending classes  after  fiery  contest  and  fought  again  to  see 
which  should  drink  first,  dragging  out  the  long  rope  at- 
tached to  the  bucket  in  a  tug  of  war  with  many  incidental 
fights.  The  teamster  abandoned  his  team  in  the  dusty 
street  and  the  gamin  ceased  from  the  tune  he  was  whis- 
tling outside  the  fence  to  drink  with  rapture  of  the  old 
well's  sparkling  mead. 

Heroic  deeds  made  the  spot  famous,  as  when  an  in- 


M. 


em  ones 


ofB 


rown 


257 


trepid  freshman  scrambled  down  the  sHppery  stones  into 
the  dark  and  dangerous  depths  and  brought  up  the  foot- 
ball which  the  sophs  had  taken  from  his  class  and  thrown 
therein.  But  the  most  thankful  to  the  old  well  were  the 
roysterers  who  in  the  still,  small  hours  rose  up  out  of  the 
depths   of   the   town   and  begged   libations   poured   over 


South  Well,  1873,  Old  John  in  the  Foreground 
"  A  bar  sinister  was  on  the  escutcheon  of  one  " 


their  heated  brains  to  remove  the  memories  of  the 
schooners  they  had  floated  and  the  Tom  and  Jerries  they 
had  downed.  Sometimes  the  old  well  got  absent-minded 
and  lost  its  bucket ;  nobody  knew  whether  it  went  up 
or  down,  and  a  new  one  without  any  moss  on  it  had  to  be 
supplied.  On  one  occasion  the  authorities  failed  to  pro- 
duce a  new  one  and  the  students'  protest  at  such  treat- 
ment of  their  old  friend  was  the  famous  water  procession, 


258  Memories  of  Brow?i 

which  invaded  the  town  with  utensils  of  grotesque  and 
nameless  variety  in  search  of  water,  which  they  found  and 
brought  back  in  formal  triumph.  It  is  strongly  suspected 
that  the  old  well-curb  carried  matches  in  its  pocket,  for 
semi-occasionally  it  would  drowse  off  and  wake  up  about 
midnight  all  in  flames.  Then  the  cry  of  "  Fire!"  startled 
the  calmness  of  night,  the  fire  engines  were  dragged  up 
the  steep  hills  and  pandemonium  ruled  in  collegedom. 

This  happened  several  times,  but  the  trick  was  played 
once  too  often.  One  bitterly  cold  night,  when  all  were 
deep  in  extra  comforters,  came  the  passing  of  the  old  well 
with  its  many  buckets  and  its  much  sweet  water.  It  had 
drowsed  off  again  and  deep  in  the  night  awoke  in  flames. 
The  firemen  came  and  while  the  poor  innocent  students 
were  asleep,  demons  poured  from  their  windows  icy  water 
from  tubs  and  buckets  out  on  the  fire  fighters  below. 
The  water  froze  on  the  firemen's  clothing,  but  the  words 
came  hot  from  their  mouths,  and  they  threatened  with 
many  an  oath  upon  the  next  like  occasion  to  take  in  their 
hose  and  wash  the  whole  building  out,  but  there  was  no 
further  opportunity,  for  the  edict  went  forth  that  the  curb 
should  rest  in  its  ashes  and  the  water  be  seen  no  more. 
The  grief  at  parting  with  the  old  well  was  sincere.  A 
cold,  gray  stone  was  placed  over  it,  from  which  protruded 
a  spook  of  a  pump,  a  cold-clanging,  cumbersome  thing  of 
iron,  offensive  to  the  eye  and  ear  as  well  as  to  the  taste, 
and  shunned  by  all  the  intimates  and  confidantes  of  the 
dear  old  well. 

Robert  P.  Broivn,  iSyi. 


Memories  of  Brown  259 

The  Barker  Hoax 

and  a  \^isit  from  two  Great  Generals 


IN  1867,  Dunn,  the  graceful  and  accomplished  pro- 
fessor of  English,  died,  to  the  great  loss  and  regret 
of  the  classes  who  looked  forward  to  his  courses 
with  expectations  of  profit  and  pleasure.  The  ad- 
vent of  a  young  instructor  from  Harvard  into  the  circle 
of  professors  who  were  almost  exclusively  Brown  gradu- 
ates and  of  mature  years  did  not  strike  the  undergradu- 
ates with  an}'  particular  favor,  and  "  Tute "  Barker's 
English  recitation-room  became  the  scene  of  hilarious 
and  noisy  demonstrations.  He  was  a  modest,  retiring 
young  man,  spending  all  his  spare  time  in  his  room, 
which  was  in  the  centre  division  of  Hope  College.  As 
he  was  timid  and  unmarried,  it  was  thought  best  to  indi- 
cate to  him  some  of  the  lively  incidents  which  daily  hap- 
pen to  the  man  who  braves  the  sweet  troubles  of  house- 
keeping. The  first  day  of  April  came  on  Saturday  and 
brought  life  and  excitement  into  "  Tute  "  Barker's  hermit 
cell.  They  started  the  arrivals  early.  Roasts  of  lamb, 
fine  cuts  of  steak,  vegetables  in  great  variety,  bread  and 
cake,  a  new  hat,  haberdashery,  books,  a  tailor  to  take 
measures  for  a  new  suit,  shoes,  and  various  other  things 
handy  for  the  good  man  of  the  house,  but  appalling  to 
the  book-worm.  Each  arrival  brought  a  receipted  bill 
and  refused  to  be  put  off  as  he  produced  an  order,  signed 
by  the  victim,  to  land  the  goods  at  his  room  number  at 
such  a  time,  and  to  bring  the  bill  with  him.  All  day  long 
they  came  with  their  valuable  articles,  only  to  be  rebuffed 


260  Memories  of  Brown 

and  pained,  and  after  quarrels  and  heart-burns  to  go  back 
with  nothing  but  loss  and  chagrin  and  a  profound  and 
bitter  feeling  towards  literary  "  cusses."  The  culmina- 
tion came  in  the  late  afternoon  when  the  Clayville  stage- 
coach, that  ancient  structure  which  toiled  up  through  the 
rugged  hills  of  Northern  Rhode  Island,  swept  in  from 
Waterman  street  with  its  four  stave-fed  horses,  stopped 
before  the  centre  of  Hope,  and  demanded  a  passenger  for 
that  wild,  barbaric  region  of  charcoal-burners  and  hard 
cider  to  which  no  traveller  willingly  returns.  It  was  too 
late,  however;  the  victim  had  fled.  The  sight  of  this  ark 
with  leather  springs  suggested  kidnapping,  and  before  the 
rough-visaged  driver  could  descend  from  his  high  box, 
the  prospective  passenger  was  seen  vanishing  in  the  dim 
and  hazy  perspective. 

In  the  spring  of  '68  we  had  a  part  holiday,  as  General 
Sheridan  visited  Brown  with  General  Burnside  as  guide. 
We  were  lined  up  on  the  front  campus  in  front  of  the 
buildings.  General  Sheridan  passed  along  shaking  hands 
in  a  jovial  way  with  every  man,  and  along  after  him  came 
General  Burnside  repeating  the  operation.  Now  General 
Burnside  had  been  elected  an  honorary  member  of  one  of 
the  leading  fraternities  at  Brown.  Mindful  of  his  close 
relation  to  the  general,  an  exuberant  freshman  reminded 
him  of  his  duty  to  give  the  grip — that  profoundly  con- 
cealed sign — and  the  general  meekly  stopped  and  received 
prolonged  instruction.  After  he  had  learned  his  lesson 
his  face  cleared  up,  and,  beaming  with  delight  at  the  fit- 
ness of  his  acquisition,  he  proceeded  to  give  every  man 
in  the  line  the  grip,  with  instruction  if  necessary.  We 
escorted  the  generals  down  through  the  city,  having  the 
usual  lively  contests  with  the  cabbies,  as  it  was  a  rule 
never  to  allow  a  vehicle  to  cross  through  our  line. 

Robert  P.  Broiun,  1S71. 


Memories  of  Brown  261 


The  Great  American  Traveller 


FOR  many  years  previous  to  1870  a  unique  figure 
was  accustomed  to  visit  the  colleges  of  the  East ; 
his  name  was  Daniel  Pratt  and  he  called  himself 
the  Great  American  Traveller.  He  was  a  sort  of 
gentleman  tramp  with  a  cant  somewhere  in  his  brain. 
Dressed  in  a  high  hat  of  uncertain  vintage  and  a  frock 
coat  of  an  earlier  age,  he  appeared  somewhat  like  a  pro- 
fessor of  moderate  means.  He  was  eloquent  of  his  travels 
and  experiences  at  the  different  universities  and  was  al- 
ways received  by  the  students  with  acclaim  and  more  or 
less  revelry  and  riot  and,  consequently,  was  regarded  as 
an  undesirable  citizen  by  the  college  authorities.  The 
last  time  he  visited  Brown  was  an  event  long  remembered 
by  the  writer.  He  arrived  in  the  late  afternoon,  and  ar- 
rangements were  quickly  in  progress  for  the  address  of 
such  a  famous  character.  The  sash  was  taken  out  of  the 
east  window  in  middle  division,  second  story,  Hope,  and, 
when  all  windows  and  doors  of  the  division  had  been 
firmly  secured  so  as  to  prevent  interruption,  Daniel 
stepped  up  on  the  window  seat  and  from  this  rostrum  ad- 
dressed the  crowd  of  students  on  the  campus  below.  His 
eloquent  harangue  called  forth  boisterous  applause  and 
Soon  "Billy  Dug"  appeared  in  the  offing  of  Sprague, 
headed  due  north  for  Hope.  Upon  his  arrival  abreast 
the  orator  he  wigwagged  the  gentleman  to  come  down  on 
deck.  Daniel,  regarding  him  as  some  crank  in  the  crowd, 
paid  no  attention,  but  continued  with  a  new  storm  of  elo- 
quence. Then  the  irate  registrar  shouted,  "Come  down 
out  of  that,"  but  Daniel  looked  down  upon  this  marplot 


262  Memories  of  B 


rown 


with  deserved  contempt  and  continued  unshaken.  The 
Rev.  WilHam  then  tried  the  doors  and  windows  without 
avail  and  hied  away  and  we  supposed  all  was  well.  As 
Daniel  was  in  the  midst  of  a  flight  of  fancy  or  a  fabrica- 
tion of  facts,  a  hand  from  behind  was  inserted  under  his 
coat  collar  and  he  was  yanked  down  with  unseemly  force. 
Rushing  around  in  front,  we  found  a  window  had  been 
forced,  entrance  obtained  and  the  door  unbarred.  In 
vain  we  tried  to  hold  the  door  and  prevent  this  outrage 
to  the  Great  American  Traveller,  but  he  was  ignomin- 
iously  thrown  out  of  the  building.  We  escorted  him  to 
the  Aldrich  House,  his  hostelry,  but  nothing  would  per- 
suade him  to  return  to  the  inhospitable  jurisdiction  of  the 
reverend  registrar.  Upon  arriving  back  the  disappointed 
auditors  decided  that  a  visible  expression  of  their  feelings 
must  go  on  record,  so  they  assen^bled  in  the  Sears  Read- 
ing Room  for  an  athletic  event.  Each  man  was  to  make 
an  8o-foot  dash  down  the  long  entry  and  put  his  foot 
through  Douglas's  door  at  the  end.  One  very  fat  fresh- 
man requested  first  place,  as  he  could  not  run  and  wanted 
time  to  disappear  into  the  night.  The  writer  was  next 
behind  the  slow-footed  leader.  We  all  shot  the  chute; 
the  door  was  smashed  and  splintered.  "  Fiat  Justitia." 
The  mob  evaporated  like  the  morning  dew,  but  there  was 
more  due  in  the  morning  than  we  expected.  The  only 
two  apprehended  were  the  fat  leader  and  the  man  next 
behind  him.  Why  and  how  is  a  psychological  problem 
never  solved.  The  poor  freshman  closed  up  his  record  at 
Brown.  Just  because  he  couldn't  run  he  was  told  to 
walk;  the  second  sprinter  was  suspended  from  evening 
recitations  and  recreations  for  the  balance  of  the  year  and 
at  six  o'clock  punctually  each  night  left  the  campus,  re- 
enacting  daily  the  exodus  of  Daniel  Pratt,  the  Great 
American  Traveller. 

Robert  P.  Brozvn,  iSji. 


Me??io?^{cs  of  Brow?i  263 


Two  Bancroft  Stories 


I 


SCENE:  Professor  Bancroft's  recitation-room  (class 
of  187 1 ).  Request  had  often  been  made  that  ap- 
plause should  not  be  boisterous,  that  there  should 
be  no  noise  of  stamping  of  the  feet.  Something  had 
aroused  the  class.  Stamping  was  indulged  in  quite  free- 
ly. The  professor  was  irritated.  He  flashed  out  with 
this  rebuke  in  the  form  of  a  question,  "  Gentlemen,  if  you 
don't  call  that  a  noise,  I  should  like  to  know  what  you 
would  call  a  noise  ?  "  Every  man,  as  though  possessed  by 
an  individual  demon,  not  only  set  his  feet  in  motion,  but  at 
the  same  instant  raised  his  heavy  blankbook  high  in  air 
and  began  pounding  his  iron  desk  with  evident  determi- 
nation to  demonstrate  to  the  professor  what  a  real  noise 
might  be.  Professor  Bancroft  saw  the  point,  held  up 
both  hands,  smiled  audibly,  and  begged  for  peace. 

Richard  B.  Coinstock,  rSyd. 


II 


Another  incident  illustrates  Professor  Bancroft's  good 
heart.     Seventy-one  was  his  'starting  class,  and  regarded 


264  Memories  of  Brown 

his  close  attention  to  dress  and  other  individuahties  with 
the  usual  highly  critical  view  of  the  undergraduate.  His 
recitation-room  was  over  the  chemical  laboratory,  and  as 
he  grandly  marched  across,  we,  the  unworthy  members  of 
'71,  assembled  back  of  Manning,  kept  time  with  him, 
shouting  left, — left,— left,  right,  left.  It  was  a  long  walk  for 
him,  and  when  he  got  us  into  the  room  he  gave  way  to 
his  excited  passions,  ragged  the  class  and  threatened  ex- 
pulsion for  all  who  should  take  part  in  a  repetition  of  the 
insult.  As  they  say  of  vaccination,  this  took,  and  the 
morrow  saw  us  prepared  for  battle  with  all  details  for  the 
attack  carefully  arranged.  Promptly  at  ten-thirty  "  Tim- 
mie,"  right  face,  marched  down  the  long  path,  his  every 
step  accompanied  by  loud  shouts  of  left, — left, — left,  right, 
left.  From  many  of  the  windows  of  Hope  and  University 
large  sonorous  horns  kept  time  with  his  steps  ;  apparently 
the  whole  college  was  in  it.  The  effect  was  electric,  as  if 
every  time  he  put  his  foot  down  he  touched  a  button 
which  produced  a  mighty  roar.  Prepared  for  a  storm,  we 
entered  and  settled  away  down  in  our  chairs  until  the  pro- 
fessor should  break  the  ominous  calm.  He  said,  "  Gentle- 
men ! "  mark  you,  gentlemen  !  "  I  was  so  unfortunate  as 
to  lose  my  temper  yesterday  and  wish  to  make  a  com- 
plete apology  for  the  manner  and  matter  of  my  remarks 
to  you.  I  see  the  joke,  and  hope  for  your  future  good 
wishes."  We  recognized  his  manly  spirit,  and  pleasant 
relations  always  existed  thereafter. 

Robert  P.  Brown,  iSyi. 


OF 


M 


emories  Oi 


B 


row?i 


265 


The  Glorious  Class  of  1871 


HEN  our  class  was  safely  corralled 
within  the  gates  of  Brown,  count- 
ing some  fifty  specimens  of  di- 
verse humanity  who  had  come  together 
through  the  mysterious  ways  of  Provi- 
idence,  the  foundations  of  University  Hall 
trembled,  the  Doric  pillars  of  Manning's 
Temple  gently  oscillated  and  Hope  blushed  deep  red 
with  suppressed  excitement,  for  they  knew  that  now 
there  would  be  "  something  doing."  The  other  two  build- 
ings, Rhode  Island  Hall  and  the  chemical  laboratory, 
were  too  far  away  to  feel  the  shock. 

We  confronted  a  sophomore  class  of  self-acknowledged 
importance.  They  boasted  that  they  were  the  biggest 
class  that  ever  enteied  Brown  and  felt  somewhat  bigger 
than  even  their  number  warranted.  Some  of  them  were 
bearded  like  the  pard,  some  were  heroes  of  the  Civil  War, 
some  of  them  were  well-known  ball  players,  whom  we  had 
repeatedly  beaten  when  we  were  only  high-school  boys. 
An  incident  in  their  classroom  will  give  a  fair  sample  of 
their   intellectual   perception.     When    Professor  Diman 

called  up  M ,  he  asked  him  how  the  colonies  were 

governed  before  the  adoption  of  the  constitution.  This 
representative  of  the  class  of  '70  varied  his  usual  style  of 
recitation  by  rising  with  great  dignity  and  in  deep,  tri- 
umphant tone  replying,  "  Why,  by  the  'preamble,'  sir!  " 
With  such  a  class  we  felt  the  quality  of  mercy  would  not 
be  strained  and  that  our  days  would  be  big  with  fateful 


266  Memories  of  Brown 

deeds.  We  had  not  long  to  wait.  A  few  days  after  en- 
trance, the  whole  college  marched  to  the  New  York  boat 
to  give  the  retiring  President  Sears  a  send-off  to  his  new 
field  in  the  service  of  the  Peabody  Education  P\ind. 
Going  down  as  escort  we  were  at  the  head  of  the  proces- 
sion, but  coming  back  we  brought  up  the  rear.  As  we 
were  about  to  enter  the  university  grounds,  these  sopho- 
mores at  a  preconcerted  signal  suddenly  turned  and  shut 
the  great  gates  in  our  faces.  We  were  surprised,  but 
quickly  the  fighting  spirit  inherent  in  all  members  of  our 
class  awoke ;  failing  to  scale  the  gates,  we  grasped  them 
in  our  arms  and  Samson-like  lifted  them  up  and  reduced 
them  to  kindling  wood,  and  after  many  a  rough  and 
tumble  fight  gained  the  coveted  position,  to  be  received 
with  cheers  by  the  assembled  juniors  on  the  chapel  steps. 
In  our  times,  class  feeling  was  very  strong  and  the  juniors 
were  the  traditional  defenders  of  the  freshmen. 

The  long  series  of  attempts  to  intimidate  us  culminated 
on  the  night  of  Professor  Clarke's  party.  On  account  of 
our  great  love  of  mathematics,  he  rewarded  our  profi- 
ciency by  the  highest  mark,  20,  and  a  party  at  his  home, 
to  which  the  grace  and  beauty  of  the  town  were  invited. 
Towards  midnight,  we  marched  back  to  college  in  a  body. 
As  we  filed  around  back  of  Hope,  the  building  appeared 
particularly  dark  and  deserted.  When  the  rear  of  the 
procession  had  rounded  the  corner,  from  the  upper  win- 
dows down  came  a  shower  of  cannon  crackers,  exploding 
in  the  midst  of  us,  followed  by  a  deluge  of  water  from 
tubs,  pails,  pitchers,  etc.  Completely  wet  and  demoral- 
ized by  these  midnight  phenomena,  we  sought  refuge  in 
the  building,  but  the  doors  were  held  immovable  by  the 
great  iron  bars  then  in  vogue  and  the  windows  were  se- 
curely fastened  down.  Our  knowledge  of  ancient  warfare 
quickly  came  to  our  aid.  From  a  house  which  was  being 
built  on  Angell  street  we  secured  a  huge  beam  and,  man- 


Memories  of  Brown  Idl 

ned  by  all  who  could  reach  it,  this  huge,  battering-ram 
quickly  demolished  the  entrances  of  oak  and  iron.  The 
man  at  the  end  of  the  ram  was  the  only  one  who  could 
realize  the  force  of  the  blow  when  it  failed  to  penetrate 
the  door. 

Hazing  was  not  yet  considered  atrocious,  and  a  little 
tribulation  was  regarded  as  good  for  the  freshman  soul, 
so  when  we  became  sophomores  we  had  a  secret  council 
of  fourteen  who  met  in  a  vacant  loft  at  the  lower  part  of 
South  Water  street.  The  members  of  this  tribunal  were 
solemnly  pledged  to  this  department  of  class  w^ork. 

There  were  no  modern  conveniences  in  the  dormitories 
then ;  the  ordinary  equipment  of  a  room  consisted  of  a 
pitcher  and  bowl,  a  wooden  pail  just  outside  the  door  and 
a  tin  cup  hanging  outside  the  w^indow.  Some  students 
were  so  averse  to  a  board-bill  that  they  cooked  all  their 
meals  in  their  room,  thus  absorbing  all  of  the  odors  as 
well  as  the  viands.  The  only  hot  water  obtainable  was 
at  the  registrar's  kitchen,  which  gave  the  evil-minded  an 
opportunity  to  watch  his  fine  crop  of  grapes  and  to  fix 
upon  the  proper  time  for  the  annual  midnight  raid. 

Some  classes  boast  of  w^hat  they  had  at  Brown ;  we 
would  proclaim  our  gratitude  for  a  few  things  we  didn't 
have.  We  had  no  president  the  first  year  and  so  became 
more  closely  acquainted  with  the  widely  cultured  and 
amiable  Chace,  who  was  preside nt /r^' /i^w/t'r^  and  should 
have  been  (in  the  opinion  of  many)  ///  perpetuum.  The 
last  three  years  we  had  as  president  the  great-hearted 
Caswell,  who  raised  his  hand  to  bless  all  and  harm  none 
(yet  was  savagely  attacked  by  his  fellows-religionists  on  the 
charge  that  he  was  a  wanderer  from  the  strict  Baptist  fold 
and  favored  open  communion).  We  had  no  assistant  or 
associate  professors,  tutors,  instructors,  theme  readers  or 
other  attenuations  of  the  professorial  dignity.  All  of  our 
instructors  were  Simon-pure  professors  of  full   rank,  ex- 


268 


M, 


of  Br  01 


emortes  or  nrown 


Middle  Campus  from  Waterman  Street,  1867 


Me??iories  of  Brow?i  269 

cept  perhaps  the  Frenchman,  Hobigand,  who,  though  fail- 
ing the  title,  was  worthy  to  hold  the  rank. 

It  was  our  continuous  and  intimate  association  with 
the  faculty  of  ten  (including  the  president)  broad-minded, 
highly-cultured  gentlemen  that  made  our  college  course 
seem  ideal.  The  courses  were  few,  but  they  were 
handled  by  masters.  We  were  not  surfeited  with  knowl- 
edge in  a  hundred  courses,  but  were  required  to  do  a  few 
things  well,  and  the  Pierian  spring  wandered  sparkling 
and  joyful  through  the  vales  of  Academe.  We  had  no 
written  examination  on  our  college  courses;  all  were  oral 
from  start  to  finish  and  we  had  to  be  able  to  get  up  and 
tell  what  we  knew  at  short  notice.  We  liked  this  method, 
and  what  a  relief  it  was  to  the  professors  to  be  free  from 
that  anti-climax,  examination  papers  ! 

There  was  little  interference  with  our  individual  life 
and  habits.  The  president  went  to  bed  at  a  regular  and 
seemly  hour  and  let  the  world  wag  as  it  would  after  that. 
Ofttimes  he  might  have  heard  the  flotsam  of  the  rear 
guard  climbing  the  hill  singing,  "  Broad  is  the  road  that 
leads  to  death,"  but  if  he  heard  these  early  morning  carols, 
he  wisely  said  nothing,  but  turned  over  and  dreamed  that 
he  was  lightly  treading  the  narrow  heavenly  road  with 
here  and  there  a  traveller.  Was  vice  more  prevalent 
then  than  now.-^  Who  can  tell  .f^  It  was,  at  least,  more 
open  and  unmolested,  and  perhaps  some  of  the  student 
w^ays  would  scarcely  be  tolerated  at  the  present  time. 
We  can  imagine  a  type  of  latter-day  presidents  who 
might  feel  uncomfortable  to  ascertain  that  a  faro  bank 
was  run  for  two  years  under  the  eaves  of  one  of  the  col- 
lege buildings  and  that  the  graduates  of  this  course  on 
the  doctrine  of  probabilities  became  so  proficient  that 
they  broke  up  a  faro  establishment  in  the  city's  "tender- 
loin." We  also  educated  many  men  up  to  a  high  degree 
of  proficiency  in  whist,   plain  poker  or  bluff,  and    Ken- 


270  Memories  of  Brown 

tucky  loo.  There  was  not  much  theatre  going,  as  this 
use  of  time  was  not  encouraged  by  the  moral  code  of  the 
university,  so  that  it  was  more  usual  to  enjoy  the  culture 
of  select  circles  and  to  hold  conversazioni  at  Peter 
Brucker's,  Philip  Drug's,  Carl  Young's  International  and 
Roger  Williams's  handy  hostelry  (where  more  than  like- 
ly at  some  time  in  the  evening  you  would  come  across 
some  Tom  and  Jerry). 

The  most  graceful  and  enjoyed  event  of  the  year  was 
junior  exhibition,  which  took  place  in  April.  It  was  re- 
ligiously observed  by  all  young  and  pretty  maidens  as  the 
function  where  they  should  appear  in  their  spring  adorn- 
ments, and  this  gave  an  audience  of  bewildering  charms 
and  beauty  adorned  to  its  utmost.  At  this  exhibition  the 
best  original  speeches  of  the  junior  year  work  were  de- 
livered by  their  authors,  and  it  was  a  higher  honor  to 
speak  at  junior  exhibition  than  was  the  perfunctory  ap- 
pointment for  commencement,  which  was  strictly  accord- 
ing to  marks.  The  junior  exhibition  speaker,  however, 
had  no  halo  about  his  head,  for  w^hile  he  was  trying  to 
prove  the  greatness  of  his  soul  or  his  proficiency  in  ora- 
tory very  likely  the  audience  w^as  reading  comments 
about  him,  full  of  sarcasm,  ridicule,  and  abuse  scurrilous 
even  beyond  the  bounds  of  decency  ;  for  the  wicked  soph- 
omores had  been  busy  for  weeks  preparing  mock  pro- 
grammes. 

These  mock  programmes  were  usually  printed  out  of 
town,  say  in  Boston,  were  brought  down  by  a  messenger 
in  a  late  train  the  night  before  and  quickly  and  quietly 
divided  among  a  select  few,  who  saw  to  it  that  the  audi- 
ence was  supplied  with  the  eagerly  sought  supplement  to 
the  regular  programme,  and  thus  had  an  inside  and  high- 
ly-tinted view  of  the  character  of  the  speakers  and  of 
many  professors  besides.  As  discovery  meant  expulsion, 
the  greatest  secrecy  was  observed.     The  sole  object  of 


Memories  of  Brown  '2.1  \ 

these  sometimes  witty,  and  often  disgraceful,  sheets  was 
to  give  the  opportunity  to  repay  the  juniors  for  all  the 
abuse  and  indignities  which  the  sophomores  had  suffered 
at  their  hands  when  they,  the  sophomores,  were  fresh- 
men. Junior  exhibition  was  last  given  by  the  class  of  '78. 
Alas!  that  the  class  of  '79,  affected  with  some  grouch 
or  other,  was  allowed  to  lift  its  iconoclastic  hands  and 
tear  from  the  calendar  our  "  annual  spring  opening!" 

In  our  senior  year,  we  had  quite  a  little  wave  of  Cathol- 
icism sweep  over  our  class,  as  it  would  appear,  from  the 
teachings  of  Professor  Diman,  whose  contempt  for  the 
cant  and  pride  of  sects  was  so  great  that  he  loved  to  bring 
out  the  historic  claims  of  the  Catholic  Church  to  a  con- 
tinuity of  authority  all  its  owai.  One  of  our  class  became, 
and  still  is,  a  zealous  Catholic  priest,  another  joined  the 
Paulist  Fathers  in  New  York  and  still  another  became 
the  head  of  a  highly  ritualistic  institution  in  the  West. 
A  well-known  gentleman  was  asked  by  a  man  whom  he 
met  travelling  who  Professor  Diman  was.  He  replied, 
"  Professor  Diman  is  a  Unitarian,  who  hires  a  pew  in  St. 
Stephen's  Episcopal  Church,  preaches  mostly  in  ortho- 
dox Congregational  pulpits,  is  in  warm  sympathy  with 
the  faith  of  the  liberal  Jews  and  teaches  Catholicism  in  a 
Baptist  college." 

Robert  P.  Broivii,  iSyi. 


272  Memories  of  B 


rown 


Boating  at  Brown 


THE  Seekonk  river,  situated  a  little  less  than  two 
miles  from  the  college,  is  about  three  miles  in 
length,  and  for  two  miles  is  about  a  half-mile  in 
width.  The  Blackstone  pours  in  from  the  north, 
and  the  tide  ebbs  and  flows  upon  the  south.  Its  surface 
is  usually  smooth  and  unruffled,  and  it  furnishes  one  of 
the  finest  courses  for  a  boat  race  in  New  England.  Many- 
races  have  been  rowed  upon  this  course  ;  and  some  by 
the  most  noted  oarsmen  of  the  country. 

This  course  was  seriously  considered  for  the  intercol- 
legiate regatta  in  1870,  and  representatives  of  Harvard 
and  Yale,  with  this  object  in  view,  visited  the  Seekonk  in 
April  of  that  year. 

The  attention  of  Brown  students  was  early  attracted  by 
such  facilities  for  rowing,  and  soon  after  the  sport  was 
adopted  by  Harvard  and  Yale,  and  their  first  race  rowed 
(in  1852),  Brown  began  to  contemplate  the  formation  of 
a  crew. 

The  second  race  between  Harvard  and  Yale  was  rowed 
in  1855,  and  this  event  added  new  impetus  to  the  move- 
ments of  Brown,  who  then  determined  to  enter  a  crew  at 
the  next  race  between  these  colleges.  With  this  object 
in  view  Brown's  first  crew  was  formed  in  1857,  and  the 
calm  waters  of  the  Seekonk  made  to  ripple  with  the  oars 
of  these  jolly  tars. 

The  third  intercollegiate  race  was  rowed  July  26,  1859, 
on  Lake  Quinsigamond,  near  Worcester.  In  this  race 
Brown  entered  her  first  crew  for  aquatic  honors.     The 


M, 


em  ones  o, 


B 


rown 


n3> 


Brown  crew  was  made  up  as  follows:  A.  B.  Judson, 
stroke,  E.  Judson,  E.  Sears,  C.  H.  Perry,  C.  D.  Cady  and 
P.  S.  Jastram,  bow. 

The  crews  drew  position  for  the  start  as  follows :    Har- 
vard first,  Yale  second,  Brown  third.     Brown  rowed  in  a 


Old  Boathouse 
(Taken  in  1872) 


cumbersome  lapstreak,  called  the  Atalanta,  which  had  been 
procured  when  the  crew  was  formed  in  1857  and  used  for 
practice  in  the  meantime.  Harvard  and  Yale  rowed  in 
shells  whose  weight  was  about  150  pounds  less  than  that 
of  the  Atalanta,  which  was  too  heavy,  and  unfit  for  racing. 


274  Memories  of  Bro 


wn 


Harvard  won  the  race ;  Yale  came  in  second.  Brown, 
not  disheartened  by  the  defeat,  set  at  work  with  increased 
energy  for  the  race  of  the  next  year. 

The  race  of  i860  was  rowed  July  24,  at  the  same  place. 
The  entries  were  Harvard,  Yale,  Brown.  An  account, 
speaking  of  the  Brown  crew,  says,  "  they  appeared  on 
Lake  Quinsigamond  with  the  lightest,  best  trained  crew, 
and  the  lightest  boat.  Friends  and  foes  alike  greeted 
them  with  prolonged  cheers.  All  admired  their  splendid 
action,  and  the  beauty  of  their  craft."  Brown  in  attempt- 
ing to  obviate  the  mistake  of  the  previous  year,  went  to 
the  other  extreme,  and  procured  for  this  race  a  shell  which 
weighed  only  112  pounds.  This  shell  proved  altogether 
too  frail,  and  went  to  pieces  in  the  race.  Brown,  never- 
theless, resolved  to  send  a  crew  the  next  year,  and  com- 
menced preparations,  but  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War,  early  in  1861,  caused  a  suspension  of  boating  in  the 
colleges,  which  was  not  resumed  until  1864. 

Interest  in  the  sport  at  Brown  was  not  revived  until 
the  spring  of  1868,  when  her  old  boathouse,  which  then 
stood  on  the  east  shore  of  the  Seekonk,  was  repaired,  it 
having  fallen  into  decay  during  the  period  of  non-use. 
At  this  time  two  second-hand  six-oar  shells  were  obtained, 
and  the  Seekonk  was  again  awakened  by  the  boatman's 
merry  laughter. 

Efforts  were  made  to  send  a  crew  to  the  race  in  1869, 
but  without  avail.  The  September  gale  of  1869  carried 
away  the  float  at  the  old  boathouse,  and  a  new  house, 
early  in  the  spring  of  1870,  was  built  on  the  west  shore,  a 
little  above  the  present  site  of  Red  Bridge. 

The  Brown  Boating  Association,  in  the  fall  of  1869, 
changed  the  previous  method  of  making  up  crews,  and, 
for  the  first  time,  encouraged  the  formation  of  class  crews, 
in  hope  that  the  interest  awakened  by  class  rivalry  would 
develop  material  for  a  crew  in   1870.     Their  motto  was. 


Memo?^ics  of  Bro%v7i 


lib 


"  On  to  Worcester  in  1870,"  but  whether  a  freshman  or  a 
university  crew  should  be  sent  had  not  been  determined. 
The  desire  was  to  arouse  a  general  interest  in  the  sport 
among-  the  students,  and  that  could  not  be  done,  except 
in  anticipation  of  sending  a  crew  to  the  regatta  to  com- 
pete with  Harvard  and  Yale,  and  hence  the  motto. 


University  Boathouse,  Erected  1871-72 


Arrangements  were  made  by  the  college  for  the  stu- 
dents, during  the  winter  of  1869,  to  take  exercise  in  Hunt 
&  Butterworth's  Gymnasium  on  the  fourth  floor  of 
Parsons  block  on  Canal  street.  In  this  gymnasium  were 
two  sets  of  rowing  weights  of  six  each,  and  the  students 
began  to  exercise  on  them  with  considerable  regularity. 
The   late  Frederick   A.  Gower   and    the  late  Edgar  H. 


276  Memories  of  Brown 

Luther,  both  members  of  the  freshman  class,  were  much 
interested  in  rowing,  and  through  their  efforts  consider- 
able interest  in  the  sport  was  aroused  in  the  class.  Ten 
or  twelve  members  were  selected  from  whom  it  was  hoped 
a  freshman  crew  would  develop.  These  freshmen  went 
with  a  good  deal  of  regularity  to  the  gymnasium,  and  it 
was  never  dif^cult  at  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
to  find  six  of  their  number  on  hand  to  occupy  a  set  of  the 
weights.  After  a  little,  it  became  evident  who  should 
compose  the  crew.  The  six  were  selected,  and  from  this 
time  on,  at  an  agreed  hour,  they  would  meet  daily  and 
take  their  pull  on  the  weights,  which  generally  consisted 
of  three  thousand  strokes. 

Early  in  the  spring,  as  soon  as  the  weather  became 
suitable,  they  purchased  a  six-oar  shell,  called  "  ly. 4.0/4  "  (so 
called  from  the  fact  that  the  Ward  brothers,  noted  oars- 
men, had  made  that  time  in  her  in  a  three-mile  race  on 
Lake  Quinsigamond  in  July,  1868,  with  Harvard),  and 
went  out  with  her,  from  the  Narragansett  Boat  Club 
House,  which  stood  at  the  foot  of  Orange  street.  She  was 
a  large,  heavy  boat,  built  for  full-grown  men,  and  totally 
unfit  for  these  youths.  Still,  even  with  such  an  unweildy 
craft  they  could  acquire  the  use  of  the  oar  and  learn  to 
manage  a  boat. 

The  time  being  fixed  for  the  initial  "  spin,"  the  crew  as- 
sembled at  the  Narragansett's  boathouse  and  placed  17.- 
40>^  in  the  water.  Several  members  of  the  class,  and 
others,  were  present  to  witness  the  first  effort  in  a  boat. 
So  far  as  is  known  no  member  of  the  crew  had  ever  been 
in  a  shell.  When  all  were  properly  seated  in  the  shell, 
oars  were  run  through  the  outriggers  and  placed  in  the 
hands  of  the  crew,  and  ij.^o^  was  pushed  gently  from 
the  float.  Not  a  member  of  the  crew  dared  to  move  or 
pull  on  his  oar  for  fear  he  would  capsize  the  boat.  When 
at  length  they  acquired  sufficient  courage  and  attempted 


M 


emories 


o/B 


row?t 


277 


to  row,  they  presented  a  most  awkward  appearance  and 
elicited  many  uncomplimentary  remarks  from  the  persons 
looking  on,  who  facetiously  asked  if  that  was  the  crew 
that  was  to  compete  with  Harvard  and  Yale.  Immedi- 
ately after  this  time  they  began  to  keep  the  boat  on  the 
Seekonk  in  the  new  boathouse,  and  the  crew  went  out 
daily. 

Soon  they  began  to  go  out  twice  a  day,  often  going  to  the 
Seekonk  before  sunrise  for  a  pull,  returning  to  college  in 


Brown  Crew,  1871 


time  for  chapel  exercises,  and,  after  college  exercises  for 
the  day  had  closed,  again  going  to  the  Seekonk  for  another 
pull, —  they  always  rowed  at  least  three  miles  at  a  pull, 
and,  many  times,  six  or  more.  It  was  necessary  to  make 
the  trip  from  college  to  the  Seekonk  on  foot,  as  there  was 
no  conveyance  at  that  time.  As  the  race  for  which  they 
were  preparing  was  to  be  rowed  over  a  mile-and-a-half 
course,  then  turn,  and  return  to  the  starting  point,  it  was 
believed  that  proficiency  in  making  the  turn  would  be  of 
great  advantage  in  the  race ;  accordingly  the  crew  prac- 
ticed a  great  deal  in  making  turns.     They  would  frequently 


278  Memo?-ies  of  B 


rown 


get  under  headway  and  while  rowing  at  their  highest 
speed  reverse  the  boat.  This  was  done  by  placing  the 
port  oars  deep  in  the  water  —  the  blades  so  arranged  as 
to  hold  water,  thus  forming  a  pivot  around  which  the  boat 
turned  and  having  little  tendency  to  throw  her  off, — 
whilst  the  starboard  oars  were  plied  with  all  the  skill  and 
energy  of  which  the  men  were  capable.  By  this  practice 
great  proficiency  was  acquired  in  turning  the  boat.  Soon 
after  they  went  on  the  water,  it  was  decided  to  send  to 
Worcester  a  freshman,  but  not  a  university,  crew. 

On  June  6,  1870,  they  rowed  a  race  with  the  Narragan- 
sett  Boat  crew,  and  later  in  the  same  month  another  with 
the  Harvard  Scientific  crew,  on  the  Seekonk.  Brown 
lost  to  the  Narragansetts.  Early  in  the  race  with  the 
Harvards  the  Brown  stroke  broke  his  oar  and  the  Har- 
vards  won  by  13  seconds.  The  Harvard  crew  spoke  many 
words  of  encouragement  and  the  Brown  crew  felt  quite 
elated  at  the  showing  made  by  them  on  this  occasion. 

About  this  time  their  challenge  was  sent  to  the  fresh- 
man crews  of  Harvard,  Yale  and  Amherst.  The  Har- 
vard and  Amherst  crews  promptly  accepted  the  challenge ; 
Yale,  while  not  refusing  the  challenge,  never  accepted  it. 

The  financial  problem  must  now  be  met.  A  new  shell 
and  a  set  of  spoon  oars  must  be  had  without  delay;  this 
would  require  about  $500  and  there  was  considerable  addi- 
tional expense  to  be  met.  The  situation  was  made  known 
to  ex- Governor  William  Sprague,  then  United  States 
senator  from  Rhode  Island.  Senator  Sprague  promptly 
furnished  the  necessary  fund  to  purchase  the  outfit.  The 
students  and  their  friends  contributed  the  necessary  fund 
to  maintain  the  crew  whilst  training  on  the  lake.  The 
new  shell  and  oars  were  received  about  the  first  of  July, 
when  the  crew^  with  their  coach,  Mr.  Charles  C.  Luther 
of  the  class  of  1871,  went  to  Lake  Quinsigamond  to 
train  until  the  race,  which  was  to  be  rowed  on  the  2 2d 


M. 


e?}iories  o, 


B 


rown 


279 


of  July.     The  university  race  between  Harvard  and  Yale 
was  to  be  rowed  immediately  after  the  freshman  race. 
The  crowd  in  attendance  to  witness  the  races  was  said 


Class  of  1873  Crew 

Winners  from  Yale,  Harvard  and  Amherst  at  Worcester  in  1870 

(From  left  to  right)  —  E.  H.  Luther,  captain  and  bow:    G.  T.  Brown,  starboard  stroke; 

F.  A.  Cower,  stroke  :     A.  M.  Smith,   port  waist :    A.  D.  McClellan,  port  bow  : 

W.  E.  Caldwell,  starboard  waist. 


to  be  the  largest  ever  assembled  at  an  intercollegiate 
regatta,  and  the  great  interest  seemed  to  centre  in  the 
freshman  race.     A  newspaper  account  the  day  after  the 


280  Memories  of  Brown 

race  says :  "  This  is  accounted  for  in  part  by  the  fact  that  in 
the  freshman  race  there  were  two  new  entries  —  Brown 
and  Amherst,  their  many  friends  being  anxious  to  witness 
their  skill  and  muscle."  It  was  an  ideal  day,  the  lake 
without  a  ripple,  and  many  persons  were  scattered  on  the 
banks  of  the  lake,  along  the  whole  course ;  upon  the 
wagon  road  and  Regatta  Point  was  a  dense  mass  of  hu- 
manity. 

The  Brown  crew  was  made  up  as  follows  :  Frederick  A. 
Gower,  stroke,  George  T.  Brown,  Alfred  M.  Smith,  Wil- 
liam E.  Caldwell,  Arthur  D.  McClellan,  Edgav  H.  Luther, 
bow  and  captain. 

As  the  time  approached  for  the  race  to  be  called  the 
freshman  crews  were  ordered  to  appear  at  the  starting 
point.  A  newspaper  account  says :  "  The  Brown  crew 
were  the  first  to  answer  to  the  call,  and  came  shooting  up 
through  the  causeway,  dressed  in  white  pants,  with  which 
their  brown  backs  presented  a  strong  contrast,  and  wear- 
ing brown  handkerchiefs  about  their  heads ;  on  the  bow 
of  their  shell  was  a  tasty  brown  flag,  and  on  the  stern  a 
white  flag  bearing  the  figures  ''7^,^  Another  account 
says,  of  Brown's  style  of  rowing :  "  Their  backs  moved  for- 
ward and  back  and  their  oars  rose  and  fell  with  the  pre- 
cision and  regularity  of  a  machine ;  .  .  .  the  long  reach 
forward,  the  quick  catch  at  the  beginning,  the  steady  pull 
through,  and  the  neat  finish  at  the  end,  followed  by  the 
rapid  recovery  for  the  next  stroke  .  .  .  showed  that  they 
had  learned  their  lesson  thoroughly."  A  newspaper  ac- 
count the  next  day  says :  "  It  was  talked  among  the  crowd 
that  the  contest  was  to  be  between  Brown  and  Yale ;  it 
seemed  to  be  conceded  that  the  others  were  not  to  make 
much  of  a  show." 

A  few  rods  above  the  starting  point,  is  a  slight  elevation 
of  land  extending  a  little  into  the  lake,  called  Regatta 
Point.     In  drawing  for  positions  the  Amherst  crew  got 


M 


emories  o, 


B 


rown 


281 


the  inside  course,  nearest    Regatta  Point,    Brown    next, 
Yale  third,  and  Harvard  next  to  the  further  shore. 

The  freshman  race  was  to  be  rowed  at  3  o'clock,  but 
the  word  "go"  was  not  given  until  5.  At  length  the 
crews  were  in  position,  and  while  waiting  there  for  the 
word  "go,"  seconds  seemed  minutes,  and  minutes  hours  ; 
everyone  could  hear  his  heart  beat.  Silence  was  at 
length  broken  by  the  starter's  voice,  "Are  you  ready?" 


Class  Crew.  1874 


All  sprang  forward  on  their  oars,  ready  to  take  w-ater. 
A  response  was  heard  from  one  of  the  boats,  "  No ! " 
Another  delay  ensued  until  the  boats  were  again  in  posi- 
tion, when  again  was  heard  from  the  starter,  "Are  you 
ready  ? "  All  again  sprang  forward  on  their  oars.  A 
short  pause  ensued.  No  response  being  heard,  the  starter 
shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  Go !  "  All  bent  to  the 
oar,  the  boats  shot  forward,  and  the  freshman  race  was 
on. 


282  Memories  of  B 


rown 


A  newspaper  account  the  next  day  says  of  the  start : 
"  At  the  first  stroke  it  was  observed  that  the  Harvards 
labored  too  hard,  their  oars  dipped  too  deep,  while  the 
Browns  and  Amhersts  behaved  splendidly."  Another 
newspaper  account  says :  "  A  good  start  was  made  by  all 
the  boats,  yet  the  Brown  crew  made  the  finest  one,  and 
started  up  the  lake  pulling  48  strokes  a  minute,  and  with 
the  most  perfect  uniformity,"  Continuing,  the  report  says : 
"  The  Amherst  crew  started  off  well,  pulling  50  strokes 
a  minute,  but  it  was  evidently  more  than  they  could 
hold.  The  Yales  were  also  pulling  48  and  the  Har- 
vards 50." 

As  Regatta  Point  was  reached  the  four  crews  were 
nearly  abreast ;  Amherst  however  was  slightly  leading 
Brown,  and,  thinking  it  necessary  to  make  into  the  lake 
further  to  prevent  grounding  on  the  point,  swung  partly 
across  Brown's  bow,  causing  a  collision  and  compelling 
both  crews  to  stop  rowing.  The  Amherst  boat  scraped 
its  whole  length  across  the  bow  of  the  Brown  boat,  tearing 
away  the  rudder  of  the  former  and  the  prow  of  the  latter, 
but  causing  no  leak.  In  the  meantime  the  Harvard  and 
Yale  crews  were  making  good  time  up  felie  lake.  As  soon 
as  the  Brown  boat  was  freed  from  the  Amherst,  the 
Browns  started  anew,  exerting  themselves  to  their  utmost 
and  fairly  lifting  the  boat  out  of  water  at  every  stroke. 
Before  reaching  the  turn  stake  the  Harvards  were  over- 
taken and  passed.  When  Brown  arrived  at  the  stake  she 
found  Yale  already  turning  but  having  made  the  fatal 
mistake  of  running  too  far  from  the  stake.  Brown's  cap- 
tain, quick  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity,  pointed 
his  boat  at  the  gap,  and  shot  in  at  full  speed.  With  port 
oars  projecting  deep  into  the  water,  in  a  nearly  perpendicu- 
lar position,  and  hugging  close  to  the  stake,  Brown  turned 
inside  of  Yale,  As  Yale  could  show  clear  water  at  the 
stake,  she  had  the  right  of  way,  and  care  must  be  taken 


Memories  of  Brown  283 

not  to  foul  her,  lest,  by  so  doing,  Brown  should  lose  the 
race,  even  if  she  came  in  ahead. 

Great  care  was  observed  in  making  the  turn.  Whilst 
Brown  and  Yale  were  turning,  Harvard  came  up  and  com- 
menced to  turn.  Now  ensued  the  most  exciting  time  of 
the  race.  The  three  crews  exerting  themselves  to  their 
utmost,  the  judges  on  the  stake-boat  shouting  at  the  top 
of  their  voices  to  their  several  favorites, —  some  stimulat- 
ing to  greater  efforts,  others  cautioning  to  prevent  a  foul, — 
presented  a  thrilling  spectacle  indeed.  The  Brown  boat 
was  managed  by  the  captain  from  his  position  in  the  bow, 
and  the  rudder  was  controlled  with  his  feet  by  means  of 
wires  extending  the  length  of  the  boat.  It  is  evident  that 
a  cool  head,  which  Brown's  captain  certainly  possessed, 
was  required  at  this  time. 

When  Brown  had  finished  the  turn  she  was  a  good 
length  ahead  of  Yale  and  could  show  clear  water.  A 
newspaper  report  the  next  day  says  of  this  turn :  "  The 
Yale  crew  w^ere  the  first  to  reach  the  stake,  but  in  making 
their  turn  they  left  water  enough  for  the  Browns,  who 
were  close  upon  them,  to  make  the  finest  turn  ever  wit- 
nessed on  the  lake,  inside  of  them,  almost  before  their 
opponents  were  aware  of  it." 

From  Regatta  Point  the  crews  could  be  seen  at  the 
stake,  but  it  could  not  be  determined  which  one  was  lead- 
ing. All  eyes  at  the  point  were  eagerly  directed  towards 
the  crews.  A  newspaper  account  says  that  when  the 
crews  could  be  distinguished,  "  the  Brown  caps  appeared 
at  least  two  lengths  in  advance  of  Yale,  and  Harvard 
third."  Another  account  says  of  the  race  down  the  lake : 
"  On  the  down  course  the  Brown  boys  led  easily,  pulling 
a  splendid  stroke,  their  every  motion  showing  that  uni- 
formity and  self-possession  that  can  only  come  from  long- 
continued  and  efficient  practice. 

"  As  they  passed  Regatta  Point,  perfectly  calm  and  lead- 


284  Memories  of  Brow7t 

ing  by  several  lengths,  cheer  after  cheer  went  up  from 
their  friends  on  the  shore,  cheers  given  only  as  students 
can  give  them.  Responding  to  the  shout,  the  brave  fel- 
lows bent  to  their  work  with  a  new  energy,  and,  putting 
on  a  magnificent  spurt,  shot  over  the  line  five  or  six 
lengths  ahead  of  Yale,  winning  the  race  in  19.21,  the  fast- 
est time  ever  made  by  a  freshman  crew."  Yale  came  in 
in  19.45  3.nd  Harvard  in  20. 

The  crew  was  at  once  presented  with  a  set  of  flags  by 
the  committee.  One  account  says:  "  The  Browns,  with 
their  flags  flying,  rowed  up  past  the  crowd  of  spectators 
amid  cheers  and  waving  of  handkerchiefs  and  music  by 
the  band."  Amherst  row^ed  leisurely  over  the  course  and 
when  she  came  in  claimed  a  foul  on  Brown  which  was 
disallowed.  The  city  of  Worcester  presented  each  mem- 
ber of  the  crew  with  a  silver  medal. 

This  victory  created  much  enthusiasm  in  the  college  in 
boating,  and  when  the  students  assembled  in  the  fall  prep- 
arations were  commenced  for  sending  a  freshman  and 
university  crew  to  the  regatta  the  next  year.  It  was 
thought  boating  had  come  to  Brown  to  stay.  Brown 
since  that  time  has  entered  crews  as  follows:  Ingleside, 
near  Springfield,  July  21,  1871,  both  a  freshman  and  a  uni- 
versity crew;  same  place,  July  24,  1872,  a  freshman  crew; 
in  1873  no  crew  was  sent,  largely  because  of  the  expense; 
Saratoga,  July  15,  1874,  a  freshman  crew;  same  place, 
July  13  and  14,  1875,  3-  freshman  and  a  university  crew. 
On  account  of  failure  to  win  a  race,  interest  in  the  sport 
began  to  i^ag  and  has  never  been  revived.  For  many 
years  now,  it  has  appeared  to  the  outside  world  that  in- 
terest in  the  sport,  in  the  college,  has  entirely  ceased  to 
exist.  Only  two  members  of  the  old  crew  of  1870  now 
survive  to  tell  the  story  of  that  race.  They  are  William 
E.  Caldwell,  of  New  York  city,  and  the  writer. 

George  T.  Broivn,  iSyj. 


Me??iories  of  Brown  285 


Three  Immortals 


AT  this  length  of  time  there  are  three  men,  among 
the  members  of  the  faculty  of  from  thirty   to 
thirty-five  years  ago,  but  now  no  longer  living, 
whose   personality   still   remains    vivid   in    the 
minds  of  those  who  studied  under  them. 

Certainly  no  one  can  soon  forget  his  impressions  of  J. 
Lewis  Diman,  professor  of  history.  In  him  one  recalls  a 
teacher  who  was  a  revelation  to  the  young  mind  of  the 
charm  which  historical  exposition  was  capable  of  attain- 
ing in  the  hands  of  a  master  of  the  art.  One  recalls  his 
use  of  the  English  language,  revealing  by  turns  the  qual- 
ities of  lucidity,  delicacy,  felicity,  audacity  and  impres- 
siveness.  One  recalls  a  teacher  whose  own  prose,  though 
indeed  lacking  in  self-consciousness,  and  not  put  forward 
as  "  literature,"  nevertheless  had  many  of  the  qualities  of 
great  literature — which,  in  brief,  to  quote  a  skilful  charac- 
terization by  a  more  recent  writer  (the  Columbia  profes- 
sor of  comparative  literature)  was,  in  reality,  "self-pos- 
sessed, subdued  and  graceful  conversation,  modulated, 
making  its  points  without  aggressive  insistence,  yet  with 
certainty,  keeping  interest  alive  by  a  brilliant  but  nat- 
ural turn  and  by  the  brief  and  luminous  flash  of  truth 
through  a  perfect  phrase."  One  recalls  the  fearless  play 
of  his  humor — like  the  play  of  "heat  lightning"  on 
an  August  night — utterly  without  apprehensions  as  to 
what  provincial  or  hide-bound  prejudices  heretofore  held 
by  the  listener  might  thereby  be  placed  in  their  true 
light. 


286 


Mi 


emories  Oi 


B 


rown 


To  come  within  the  orbit  of  such  a  teacher  was,  in 
itself,  "  a  Uberal  education."  EnHghtening  it  surely  was, 
in  its  indication  of  what  the  dictates  of  good  taste  called 
for,  and  no  less  in  the  mental  perspective  which  it  con- 
stantly afforded.     Moreover,  this  was  a  teacher  who,   in 


•''^aB^* 


Professor  J.  Lewis  Diman,  1851 
(Taken  about  1869) 


spite  of  his  apparent  disregard  of  "  conventions,"  was  one 
of  the  most  self-poised  of  men  ;  and  the  student  who  fol- 
lowed sympathetically  his  analytical  methods  came,  in 
time,  to  demand  a  "  sweet  reasonableness  "  in  any  author 
whose   treatment   of   a  subject   was  placed  before  him. 


Memories  of  Brown  287 

Not  only  a  sense  of  form  in  an  author's  language,  but  a 
sense  of  proportion  in  an  author's  thought,  came  to  be 
firmly  fixed  in  the  student's  mind  as  the  indispensable 
ideal  to  be  looked  for  in  any  work  of  exposition.  Lastly, 
and  most  priceless  of  all,  the  teacher's  mental  attitude 
toward  truth  was  one  which  could  not  fail  to  be  commun- 
icated to  the  pupil.  To  the  man  who  had  grown  up,  in  a 
blind  way,  to  regard  Protestantism  as  the  only  possible  re- 
ligious view,  and  all  else  as  unthinkable,  or  to  the  man 
who  had  unthinkingly  accepted  the  political  party  of  his 
father,  the  enlightening  and  emancipating  method  of  this 
teacher  of  history  was  in  the  highest  degree  salutary.  Of 
a  certain  American  man  of  letters,  whose  point  of  view 
was  a  painfully  limited  one,  it  was  once  remarked,  that  he 
"was  more  than  provincial;  he  was  parochial."  From 
such  a  "parochial"  point  of  view,  the  student  under  Pro- 
fessor Diman  was  inevitably  liberated,  and  his  mental 
horizon  correspondingly  widened.  Henceforth  his  mind 
would  necessarily  be  far  otherwise  than  inhospitable  to 
new  truths  and  new  impressions.  For  him  the  desire  to 
see  "  things  as  they  are  "  would  henceforth  be  his  ideal, 
even  though  it  should  lead  him  "  To  scorn  delights,  and 
live  laborious  days." 

But  while  the  student's  contact  with  Professor  Diman 
inevitably  led  to  breadth  of  view,  there  were  not  want- 
ing impulses  toward  depth  also.  These  impulses  likewise 
were  inseparably  connected  with  a  strong  and  vital  per- 
sonality,— that  of  the  late  President  Robinson,  who  not 
only  acted  as  the  executive  of  the  college,  but  held  the 
chair  of  "  moral  and  intellectual  philosophy."  It  is  com- 
mon to  think  of  the  present  time  as  one  contrasting 
sharply  with  the  period  of  the  early  seventies,  in  respect 
to  mechanical  inventions  and  their  results;  but  the  con- 
trast is  even  sharper,  perhaps,  in  the  field  of  thought. 
Much  that  has  now  passed  into  the  accepted  mental  "  bag- 


288 


M, 


em  ones  Oi 


B 


row?t 


gage,"  so  to  speak,  of  the  thinking  man  of  today — scien- 
tific and  theological  alike — has  been  accepted  only  after 
long  and  patient  education  of  the  public  by  scientific  men 
of  the  type  of  the  late  Mr.  Huxley;  and  the  acceptance  of 
each  new  morsel,  in  this  educative  process,  has  not  been 


EzEKiEL  Oilman  Robinson,  1838 
President  of  Brown  University  1872-S 


unaccompanied  by  a  wrench  or  a  shock.  But  it  is  per- 
haps safe  to  say  that  those  who  have  received  their  im- 
pulse towards  the  investigation  of  truth  from  Dr.  Robin- 
son's teachings  have  had  few  occasions  to  experience  a 
mental  "wrench,"  in  their  readjustment  to  new  or   un- 


Memories  of  B?'own  289 

familiar  truth.  Nowhere,  perhaps,  is  the  mental  attitude 
thus  indicated  more  perfectly  embodied  than  in  Lessing's 
impressive  utterance :  — 

"  If  God  held  all  truth  shut  in  his  right  hand,  and  in  his 
left  held  nothing  but  the  ever-restless  instinct  for  truth, 
though  with  the  condition  of  for  ever  and  ever  erring,  and 
should  say  to  me,  '  Choose  ! '  I  should  bow  humbly  to  his 
left  hand,  and  sav,  '  Father,  give  !  pure  truth  is  for  Thee 
alone!'" 

One  recalls  vividly  the  physical  qualities  which  added 
to  the  impressiveness  of  this  notable  teacher;  and,  no 
less,  the  vigor  and  fearlessness  of  his  thought ;  and,  with 
a  special  sense  of  gratitude,  his  uniform  practice  of  dis- 
couraging the  dogmatic  or  "  cock-sure  "  spirit  of  assertion, 
remembering  that  all  true  science  is  modest.  One  re- 
members also  with  equal  gratitude  the  lofty  and  disinter- 
ested ethical  standards  implanted  through  his  teaching ; 
and  instinctively  recalls  those  inspiring  lines  of  Matthew 
Arnold :  — 

"  For  rigorous  teachers  seized  my  youth, 
And  purged  its  faith,  and  trimm'd  its  fire, 
Shew'd  me  the  high,  white  star  of  Truth, 
There  bade  me  gaze,  and  there  aspire." 


There  is  one  other  figure  that  stands  out  with  equal 
vividness  after  all  these  years.  It  is  that  of  John  Larkin 
Lincoln,  professor  of  Latin.  It  is  not  given  to  every 
man  who  follows  the  profession  of  teaching  to  enlist  the 
admiration  and  the  confidence  of  his  pupils,  signally  and 
completely.  It  is  the  distinction  of  a  still  smaller  number 
to  be  able  to  add  to  these  —  priceless  as  they  are  —  the  in- 
stinctive affection  of  their  pupils.  Professor  Lincoln's 
chair  was,  for  a  great  part  of  the  time,  that  of  a  single  Ian- 


290 


Mi 


emortes 


o/B 


rown 


guage  and  literature,  but  the  man  was  ever  greater  than 
the  chair;  and  his  teaching  was  as  wide  as  that  of  "  The 
Humanities,"  in  the  old-world  sense  of  the  phrase.  Few 
students  could  go  out  from  under  his  teaching  without  a 
wider  conception  of  classical  literature  than  that  of  a  mere 


Professor  John  Larkin  Lincoln,  1836 


vehicle  for  the  teaching  of  Latin  or  Greek  grammar ;  and 
the  pregnant  words  of  James  Russell  Lowell  will  express 
his  conception  of  the  vital  quality  of  all  great  literature :  — 
"  Only  those  languages  can  properly  be  called  dead  in 
which  nothing  living  has  been  written." 


Memories  of  Brown  29 1 

All  students  of  his  can  \i\idly  recall  this  prince  of 
teachers,  seated  at  his  desk,  hearing  a  recitation ;  and  the 
keen  enjoyment  with  which  he  discovered  that  a  nice  turn 
of  expression  or  a  delicate  shade  of  meaning  in  the  thought 
had  found  due  appreciation  by  the  pupil  who  recited.  A 
smaller  number  remember  with  inexpressible  pleasure  the 
experiences  of  a  few  men — then  "  recent  graduates  "— 
who  had  the  privilege  of  reading  Cicero  with  him  through 
one  entire  winter,  in  the  days  before  the  establishment  of 
a  "graduate  department "  at  Brown  University.  All  his 
students  remember,  as  if  it  were  yesterday,  his  hearty 
and  unaffected  interest  in  all  that  concerned  the  college 
and  its  students,  through  all  the  closing  years  of  his  life. 
Not  as  an  "  old  "  man,  however,  does  he  live  in  our  mem- 
ories, but  rather  as  a  man  who  wore  with  emphatic  grace 
Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes's  exquisite  characterization 
of  himself,  as  "  seventy  years  young."  To  no  man  more 
than  to  him  was  the  supreme  satisfaction  given  of  enjoy- 
ing 

".    .    .    that  which  should  accompany  old  age, 
As  honor,  love,  obedience,  troops  of  friends." 

The  Brown  University  student  of  the  early  70's  would 
be  less  than  human  if  he  did  not  feel  undying  gratitude 
to  a  college  which  has  given  him  such  ideals  and  such 
memories ;  which  has  supplied  such  impulses  and  such 
inspirations. 

Willimfi  E.  Foster,  iSyj. 


292  Memories  of  Brown 


President   Wheeler's    First   Impres- 
sions of  Brown 


IN  the  late  afternoon  of  September  7,  1871,  I  entered 
the  city  of  Providence  along  with  three  almost  equally 
verdant  persons  who  had  been  my  classmates  at  New 
London  Academy, —  an  institution  located,  according 
to  its  catalogue,  in  the  hills  of  New  Hampshire,  nearly 
2000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea  and  seven  miles  from 
any  possible  temptation.  Fear  of  the  wicked  city  filled 
our  hearts,  and  dread  of  the  entrance  examinations  set  for 
the  coming  day.  As  we  started  up  College  Hill  we  had 
our  first  glimpse  of  Brown  in  the  person  of  Professor 
Lincoln,  He  wore  a  gray  beaver  hat  and  was  coming 
merrily  down  the  hill,  turning  his  high-lifted  face  this  way 
and  that  to  gather  the  prospect  in.  A  friend  who  had  us 
in  charge  nudged  us  vehemently.  "  See,  there  comes 
Professor  Lincoln."  With  a  quick  bow  for  our  guide  and 
a  kindly  glance  for  his  verdant  convoy  he  swept  by.  We 
turned  and  watched  him  till  he  rounded  the  corner  into 
Market  Square.  I  thought  him  a  gentleman  then,  and  I 
think  so  still. 

I  remember  nothing  else  of  my  first  afternoon  except 
the  hill  and  the  doorsteps — the  doorsteps  of  those  people 
who,  as  Robert  Burdette  noted  on  his  first  visit,  were  so 
aristocratic  that  they  go  upstairs  to  get  down  cellar.  That 
night  we  spent,  instead  of  slept,  at  the  Central  Hotel  on 
Canal  street,  all  four  in  one  large  westward-looking  room, 
two  in  beds  and  two  on  the  floor.     Between  thinking  about 


Mi 


emortes  o 


ifB 


row7i 


293 


the  impending  examinations  and  keeping  a  close  and  re- 
sponsible watch  upon  the  various  urban  activities,  includ- 
ing a  fire  alarm,  which  from  time  to  time  were  paraded 
before  our  windows,  we  laid  that  night  some  considerable 
foundations  of  a  liberal  education.  The  next  morning  in 
great  weariness  of  the  flesh  and  much  faintness  of  heart 


View  from  Crawford-Street  Bridge,  1873 


we  began  the  entrance  examinations.  The  only  subjects 
were  mathematics  (arithmetic  and  algebra  as  far  as  quad- 
ratic equations),  Greek  and  Latin.  All  were  condensed 
into  one  day,  and  at  five  in  the  afternoon  we  assembled 
to  learn  our  fate.  There  were  only  eight  or  ten  candi- 
dates— but  we  were  needed,  for,  even  including  six  B.  P. 


294  Memories  of  Brown 

men  and  three  of  the  "  select  course,"  there  were  all  told 
but  fifty-six  enrolled  for  the  freshman  class.  I  did  not 
know,  however,  that  we  were  in  a  "small  college."  It 
seemed  to  me  a  very  big  and  a  very  remarkable  college- 
I  do  not  think  I  knew  any  were  bigger,  except  Harvard, 
which  I  had  heard  was  dangerously  big  and  dangerously 
lax  in  theology  and  various  else — aside  from  the  entrance 
requirements. 

I  was  sure  no  college  had  such  remarkable  professors  as 
Brown.  Harkness's  grammar  filled  me  with  reverence 
and  awe,  but  the  first  vision  of  the  author  was  a  shock. 
That  such  a  man  should  smile  on  freshmen,  and  smile  as 
if  he  had  heard  all  about  us  and  had  been  looking  for  us 
was  unbelievable.  I  could  only  account  for  it  in  the  case 
of  myself  and  friends  on  the  theory  that  he  greatly  ad- 
mired New  London  and  my  teacher  Mr.  Willard — and 
forthwith  my  admiration  for  Mr.  Willard  grew  apace.  It 
was  the  last  year  of  President  Caswell's  administration, 
and  already  Dr.  Robinson  had  been  elected  to  succeed 
him.  It  was  currently  expected  that  the  new  master 
would  not  be  as  mild  as  the  old,  and  it  was  generally 
thought  best  to  improve  the  shining  hours — but  still  it 
seemed  likely  that  President  Caswell  could  not  be  well 
surpassed  in  genial  dignity  by  any  college  president,  and 
that  in  spite  of  the  commonly  reported  failure  of  his  class- 
room experiments  in  natural  philosophy,  he  was  really  a 
remarkable  scientist  when  it  came  to  the  principles  in- 
volved. There  was  no  doubt  about  Professor  Lincoln. 
In  his  seat  behind  the  desk  of  his  Latin  room,  he  even 
looked  tall.  Professor  George  I.  Chace,  then  professor  of 
philosophy,  was  an  object  of  universal  respect  and  admi- 
ration, but  a  freshman  might  look  on  him  only  from  afar. 
He  was,  we  thought,  for  seniors  only.  Seniors  were  in- 
vited frequently  to  his  table,  and  they  adored  him.  He 
had   been,  it  was   said,  prominently  considered   for   the 


Memories  of  Brow?i 


295 


presidency  at  the  time  of  Dr.  Robinson's  election,  and  all 
this  made  it  more  glorious  to  be  a  senior,  and  more  pitiful 
to  be  a  freshman,  especially  as  it  was  reported  that  he 
would  withdraw  from  the  university  at  the  close  of  the 
year  and  leave  us  forever  after.     Professor  Diman,  too, 


Professor  Eli  Whitney  Blake 
(Taken  about  1874) 


was  said  to  be  a  remarkable  man.  He  looked  it.  Later 
on  I  had  occasion  to  build  on  more  than  hearsay.  It 
was  always  the  custom  for  students  to  lift  their  hats  on 
meeting  a  professor  on  the  street  or  on  the  campus,  but 
tradition  said  that  Professor  Diman  never  noticed,  on  the 


296  Memories  of  Brown 

street,  any  but  seniors.  I  think  this  made  him  more  at- 
tractive. All  the  more  reason  for  being  a  senior.  He 
was  undoubtedly  a  very  great  man,  and  it  seemed  daringly 
wicked  to  call  him  "  Jerry." 

As  the  faculty  sat  before  us  in  chapel,  winged  out  like  a 
coat  of  arms  on  either  side  of  the  high  presidential  box, 
there  was  no  kindlier  face  than  that  which  shone  out  from 
the  first  seat  on  the  north,  the  cold  scientific  side, —  the 
fatherly  face  of  Professor  Samuel  S.  Greene,  whom  we 
rejoiced  to  call  "  Betsey."  It  was  not  only  on  account  of 
Greene's  English  Grammar  that  we  thought  him  great. 
He  was  unmistakably  inspired  of  pedagogics  whatever  it 
might  be  he  taught.  There  was  not  much  pedagogics 
abroad  then  in  the  land,  neither  had  child  study  nor  the 
psychological  laboratory  yet  preempted  all  the  "method" 
claims,  but  "  Betsey  "  Greene  was  a  teacher  and  devoted 
to  teaching /^^T  5^.  It  mattered  little  to  him  what  the  sub- 
ject was  —  algebra,  mechanics  or  grammar,  if  only  he 
could  seem  to  set  a  mind  aworking.  His  faith  in  the  value 
of  pure  and  naked  mind  and  in  the  etymology  of  the  word 
education  was  so  firm  and  great  that  it  became  his  pecul- 
iar pleasure  to  educe  the  lesson  of  the  day  out  of  the  pure 
mind  substance  of  a  pupil  innocent  of  all  special  knowledge 
thereof.  For  illustrative  apparatus  in  astronomy,  mechan- 
ics, trigonometry  there  mostly  sufificed  him  a  black  globe, 
a  lead-pencil  and  an  ink-bottle,  and  he  was  withal  a  lovely 
soul  and  much  beloved. 

Of  my  freshman  ideas  concerning  the  other  professors  I 
can  only  remember  that  Professor  Clarke  made  the  impres- 
sion of  not  telling  all  he  knew ;  that  about  the  person  of  the 
professorof  chemistry, w^hoseexperimentsalways  succeeded 
and  whose  work  went  off  with  a  dash  and  precision,  there 
hung  a  certain  atmosphere  of  clean-cut  modernity ;  that 
the  new  professor  of  physics.  Professor  Blake,  gave 
promise  of  bringing  in  much  fresh  air  with  him ;     and 


M. 


e //I ones  o 


ofB 


rown 


297 


that  Professor  Bancroft,  though  always  overworked, 
was  a  great  exponent  of  correct  style  in  writing  and 
of  "pure  tone"  in  speaking.  He  was,  as  I  now  know,  a 
most  faithful,  helpful  man.  Most  of  us  came  to  owe  him 
for  definitely  useful  instruction  more  than  we  owed  any 
other  college  teacher.     His  teaching  of  English  literature 


View  down  College  Street,  1873 


was  hopelessly  embarrassed  by  a  slavish  adherence  to  a 
hopeless  textbook,  but  his  instruction  for  writing  and 
speaking  counted  for  good. 

The  library  with  its  thirty-eight  thousand  books  made 
a  profound  impression  upon  me.  Its  mysterious  alcoves 
lined  to  the  high  ceilings  with  delicately  matched  volumes 


298  Memories  of  Brown 

whose  solemn  backs  proclaimed  their  worth  ;  the  boxes  of 
cards  on  the  window-seats  which,  written  in  the  noble 
caligraphy  of  the  librarian,  presented  an  array  of  titled 
opportunities  for  learning  such  as  my  eye  had  never  seen_;_ 
the  loving  care  of  Dr.  Guild  as  he  patted  the  backs  of  the 
books  on  the  shelves  and  constrained  them  to  euphuistic 
order;  the  story  of  the  rare  editions  and  wonderful  col- 
lections which  the  librarian  was  glad  to  tell,  even  to  fresh- 
men—  all  these  combined  to  make  the  library  in  my  eyes 
by  far  the  most  dignified  and  worshipful  department  of 
the  college.  The  orderliness  of  the  books  in  their  clever 
arrangement  by  size  and  binding  played  no  small  part  in 
the  impression,  butH  remember  some  years  later  a  rising 
doubt,  when  on  finding  a  shelf  of  interspersed  volumes  in 
Arabic,  Shan,  Cherokee  and  Persian,  I  asked  the  assist- 
ant what  particular  classification  that  shelf  represented, 
and  received  the  answer:  "  That  shelf,  Mr.  Wheeler,  rep- 
resents a  body  of  languages  with  which  the  librarian  is 
totally  unacquainted.^^  Still  every  old  graduate  of  Brown 
remembers  with  deepest  thankfulness  the  good  cheer  and 
welcome  with  which  this  devoted  friend  of  the  university 
made  us  all  feel  at  home  in  the  library.  In  this  regard  he 
was  the  great  forerunner  of  the  modern  type  of  the  libra- 
rian. 

My  earliest  impressions  regarding  the  government  of 
the  college  associate  themselves,  firstly,  with  a  staid  ad- 
dress of  counsel  delivered  to  the  freshmen  by  Professor 
Clarke  on  the  opening  day  of  the  year ;  secondly,  with  a 
printed  copy  of  the  rules  delivered  to  us  at  that  time  in 
which  we  were  forbidden  to  use  burning  fluid  in  our  rooms 
or  to  attend  the  theatre;  thirdly,  with  the  perception  that 
the  president  was  an  ofificer  who  read  scriptures  and 
prayed  in  the  morning,  and  dispelled  bonfires  and  mobs 
at  night ;  and  lastly,  with  the  recognition  that  the  faithful 
and  excellent  registrar,  the  Rev.  William   Douglas,  who 


Memories  of  Brown  299 

preached  weekly  at  the  state's  prison,  and  kept  account  of 
the  student's  marks  and  tuition  and  room  bills,  thus  per- 
forming, as  some  witty  student  discovered,  the  dual  task 
of  an  ancient  disciple  who  both  preached  and  sat  at  the 
receipt  of  customs, —  that  this  much-tried  worthy  was  as- 


Professor  J.  Lewis  Diman,  1851 
(Taken  about 


sociated  with  the  two  hard-worked  janitors  of  Hope  Col- 
lege and  University  Hall  in  the  odious  and  mostly  un- 
profitable task  of  repressing  minor  evil-doings  and  detect- 
ing evil-doing  minors.  The  registrar  and  his  family  lived 
with  us  in  University  Hall,  much  I  fear  to  their  discomfort 


300  Memories  of  Brown 

and  irritation  of  spirit,  but  the  only  thing  about  the  ar- 
rangement which  tended  to  give  us  the  "home  feehng" 
was  the  estabHshed  privilege  of  going  to  the  registrar's 
kitchen  on  Saturday  evening  for  a  pitcher  of  hot  water  to 
tone  the  weekly  bath  of  preparation.  On  other  occasions 
our  sole  reliance  was  the  old  well  at  the  southeast  corner 
of  University  Hall  with  its  two  buckets  suspended  over  a 
wheel,  or  the  iron  pump  back  of  Hope  College.  I  never 
heard  either  suspected  of  germs.  I  suppose  it  was  before 
the  day  of  germs.  A  dead  cat  was  found  once  in  the 
lower  well,  but  was  removed  without  apparent  injury  to 
the  water.  We  lived  a  comfortable  and  self-contained 
life.  We  were  very  small,  but  did  not  know  it.  We 
played  baseball  on  the  campus  directly  behind  University 
Hall  with  the  first  base  hard  by  the  northeast  door  and 
the  home  plate  a  few  feet  north  of  the  path  joining  Man- 
ning Hall  and  the  chemical  laboratory.  Here  we  played 
football,  too,  in  monster  mob  games  with  half  the  college 
participating.  Everybody  knew  everybody  else,  and  the 
cream-cakes  and  candy  of  "  Old  John"  the  appleman  had 
made  him  common  friend,  if  not  common  creditor,  of  us 
all.  Entire  classes  almost  unbroken  by  electives  passed 
year  after  year  through  the  same  courses,  taught  by  the 
same  men  with  the  same  questions,  the  same  jokes,  the 
same  reviews  and  back-reviews,  so  that  our  life  was 
founded  in  common  experiences  and  provided  with  com- 
mon pabulum  for  thought  and  allusion. 

It  was  indeed  a  cozy  college  and  small,  but  for  us  it  be- 
came great,  because  in  the  compactness  of  its  life  all  its 
resources  were  available  to  use  with  a  minimum  of  waste. 

Benjamin  Ide  Wheeler,  i8y^. 


M 


emortes  Oi 


B 


rown 


301 


When  Dr.  Robinson  Came  to  Brown 


R.  ROBINSON  entered  upon  his 
active  duties  as  president  of 
Brown  University  in  September, 
1872,  and  hence  had  his  first  ex- 
periences with  the  class  of  '76. 
At  the  time  of  his  assumption  of 
the  high  office,  Dr.  Robinson 
held  decided  ideas  as  to  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  students.  The 
class  of  '76  was  imbued  with  the 
revolutionary  spirit  of  1776,  and 
many  were  the  clashes  between 
the  vigorous  and  strenuous  presi- 
dent and  his  active  subjects. 
Soon  after  the  opening  of  the  term.  Dr.  Robinson  as- 
sembled the  class  and  delivered  a  lecture  on  the  necessity 
of  obedience  to  the  rules  of  the  college.  At  the  close  he 
asked  all  those  who  intended  to  obey  the  rules  of  the  col- 
lege to  rise.  In  looking  over  the  class  he  found  that  there 
were  two  who  had  not  arisen.  He  immediately  turned 
around  with  his  rapid  movement  and  asked  them:  "  Do 
you  intend  to  obey  the  rules  of  the  college  or  not?  Upon 
your  decision  rests  the  question  whether  you  shall  stay  in 
college  or  not."  One  of  the  tw^o,  perhaps  a  little  bolder 
than  the  other,  suggested  he  did  not  really  know  what  the 
rules  of  the  college  were.  Dr.  Robinson  said  :  "  It  makes 
no  difference  what  they  are,  they  are  the  rules  of  the  col- 
lege and  they  shall  be  obeyed."     This  member  of  the  class 


302 


Memories  of  Brown 


then  suggested  that  he  had  been  told  that  one  of  the 
rules  was  that  every  member  of  the  college  should  attend 
church  twice  each  Sunday  and  he  thought  this  was  a  too 
strict  requirement.  Dr.  Robinson  immediately  said : 
"Is  that  a  rule  of  the  college?"  Receiving  no  definite 
answer  he  said :  "  It  doesn't  make  any  difference  whether 
it  is  the  rule  of  the  college  or  not,  one  attendance  at 
church  on  Sunday  is  enough." 


The  Old  Chapel,  1874 


Another  incident  of  the  clash  of  the  president  of  the 
college  with  the  class  of  '76  was  when  Dr.  Robinson  hav- 
ing in  our  freshman  year  suspended  one  of  the  members 
for  bringing  a  cane  upon  the  campus  at  an  inopportune 


Mi 


emories  o, 


B 


rown 


300 


time,  so  that  it  led  to  a  class  contest,  the  class  thought 
that  the  member  was  improperly  suspended,  and  appointed 
a  committee  to  visit  Dr.  Robinson  in  relation  to  the  mat- 
ter. This  committee  was  selected  with  great  care  and  con- 
sisted of  five  members  of  the  class.  They  went  to  Dr. 
Robinson's  ofifice,  which  was  in  the  president's  house  (at  the 
top  of  the  hill)  and  when  one  of  the  members  knocked  at 
the  door,  he  was  told  in  a  gruff  voice  to  "  Come  in."  The 
committee  entered  the  room  and  found  Dr.  Robinson 
busily  writing.  They  waited  a  few  minutes  and  getting 
no  greeting  they  all  sat  down.  Immediately  they  had 
done  this  Dr.  Robinson  threw  down  his  pen  and  in  a  loud 
voice  said:  "You  may  stand,  gentlemen."  The  men 
rose  as  though  they  had  been  shocked  by  a  galvanic  bat- 
tery, the  knees  of  each  member  becoming  as  stiff  as  ram- 
rods. The  next  question  of  Dr.  Robinson  was:  "Why 
do  you  come?  "  One  of  the  members  feebly  suggesting 
the  purpose  that  brought  them  there,  he  turned  upon  the 
member  making  the  suggestion  and  said :  "  I  have  no 
doubt  you  ought  to  be  dismissed  from  college  too,  and 
unless  you  gentlemen  retire  at  once  I  shall  see  that  you 
are  all  suspended."  Hence  nothing  came  of  the  deter- 
mined attitude  of  the  class  to  relieve  the  member  from 
unjust  suspension. 

Richard  B.  Com  stock,  iSy6. 


View  from  the  roof  of  University  Hall 


30"^  Memories  of  Brown 

President  Robinson  on  the  Rush 

Line 


TN  the  early  days  of  President  Robinson's  administra- 
tion, there  were  many  impromptu  rushes  between 
the  lower  classes.  The  president  vigorously  disap- 
proved of  these,  and  either  he  or  the  registrar,  "  Billy 
Dug,"  usually  appeared  on  the  scene  before  the  rush  cul- 
minated. It  is  safe  to  say  that  the  distant  appearance  of 
the  president  was  heralded  by  the  cry,  "  Here's  Zeke," 
and  this  by  the  immediate  and  total  disappearance  of  all 
participants.  When  the  registrar,  however,  appeared  as 
the  queller,  the  combatants  withdrew  slowly  and  sullenly, 
firing  as  they  went  many  a  gun  of  ridicule  and  objurga- 
tion, since  the  registrar  was  not  held  in  quite  as  much  awe. 
The  president  always  bore  down  upon  the  mob  with 
gigantic  strides  and  a  threatening  and  imposing  front. 
His  silk  hat  was  usually  well  back  upon  his  head  and  his 
frock  coat  was  unbuttoned,  while  its  long  tails  floated  be- 
hind him.  His  high  patrician  features  were  mantled  with 
more  than  the  paternal  severity  of  a  "  Roman  father"  as 
he  thundered  from  afar,  "  Disperse,  young  men,  disperse." 
On  one  occasion,  '76  and. '77  were  struggling  in  the  rear 
of  Hope  when  the  dread  cry  of  "  Zeke  "  arose.  In  less 
time  than  it  can  be  told,  every  boy  but  one  had  disap- 
peared in  the  then  cavernous  depths  of  Hope.  That  un- 
fortunate one,  the  writer,  in  his  haste  bumped  into  the 
college  pump,  and  was  thrown  backward  upon  the  ground. 
As  he  picked  himself  up  he  saw  no  living  being  save  the 


M 


em  ones 


ofB^ 


rown 


305 


president,  who  stood  over  him  and  who  in  stentorian  tones 
shouted,  "  Disperse,  young  man,  disperse." 

One  evening,  somewhat  late,  after  a  baseball  victory 
over  Harvard,  several  of  the  boys  went  down  street  to  a 
"little  supper."  The  floors  above  the  restaurant  were 
used  for  a  hotel.  One  of  the  boys  felt  very  well,  indeed, 
and  when  in  this  condition  his  favorite  pastime  was  to  at- 
tempt to  sing  "  Lauriger."  On  this  occasion  he  was  doing 
unusually  well,  both  as  to  volume  of  sound  and  distinct- 
ness of  utterance,  when  the  proprietor  came  up  and  said  : 
"  I  really  must  ask  you  not  to  sing  so  loudly.  You  are 
disturbing  the  guests  who  are  sleeping  above." 

Our  friend,  in  perfect  seriousness  and  with  the  preter- 
natural gravity  which  often  accompanies  his  condition, 
replied,  "  How  in  blazes  can  I  disturb  them  when  I  am 
singing  in  a  language  they  don't  understand  .^^  " 

William  CJoslin,  r8y6. 


306  Memories  of  B. 


rown 


President    Robinson   and   the  Vale- 
dictorian of  Seventy-seven 


The  following  story  was  told  me  by  "  Possum  "  Knight, 

President  Robinson,  though  somewhat  stern  and  impa- 
tient of  opposition,  yet  understood  and  appreciated  frank- 
ness. 

The  class  of  '^']  were  assembled  for  metaphysics. 
Thomas,  the  class  valedictorian,  "brawling  Tommy,"  as 
the  boys  sometimes  called  him  on  account  of  his  hearty 
exuberant  manner,  was  called  upon  for  a  passage  in  the 
preceding  lecture. 

He  recited  it  smoothly,  word  for  word,  as  dictated. 

"Humph!  humph!"  ejaculated  the  president,  "said 
like  a  parrot,  but  what  does  it  mean  ? " 

"  Well,  sir,"  replied  Tommy,  calmly,  "  I  read  it  over  three 
or  four  times  and  couldn't  see  any  sense  in  it,  so  I  just 
learned  it  by  heart." 

"Ah,  well!"  said  President  Robinson,  "I  must  have 
failed  to  make  myself  intelligible.     Let  me  explain." 

Walter  Lee  Muiiro,  i8yg. 


M. 


eniorics  oi 


B 


row? I 


309 


The  College  Buildings  in   Other 

Days 


HE  college  could  boast  of 
but  five  buildings  when  I 
first  entered  upon  my  term 
of  service  at  Brown  in 
1877 — University  Hall, 
Hope  College,  Manning 
Hall,  Rhode  Island  Hall 
and  the  chemical  labora- 
tory. Under  the  above 
heading  I  have  attempted 
to  record  several  incidents 
and  facts  regarding  these 
buildings  many  of  which, 
I  believe,  have  not  ap- 
peared in  print  before. 
University  Hall  is  150 
feet  by  46;  with  a  lateral  extension  of  10  by  30  feet  in  the 
centre;  and  originally  a  hall,  12  feet  wide,  ran  the  full 
length  of  the  structure.  During  its  early  history  the  first 
floor,  south  end,  was  used  for  domestic  purposes  by  the 
steward  and  his  family.  The  middle  and  north  end  were 
used  for  recitation-rooms  at  one  time.  Professor  Lincoln 
occupied  the  northwest  corner  and  Professor  Jewett  the 
northeast  corner.  The  west  central  room  was  used  for 
the  chapel  exercises  and  public  gatherings,  while  that  on 
the  east  side  served  for  a  dining-room,  or,  as  it  was  called, 


308  Memories  of  Brown 

"  Commons  Hall."  The  room  was  furnished  with  four 
long  tables;  one  of  the  tables  was  called  the  "Graham 
table,"  the  food  for  this  table  being  cheaper  and  prepared 
especially  for  the  accommodation  of  students  of  limited 
means. 

Mr.  Lemuel  H.  Elliot,  registrar  and  steward  from  1825 
to  1864,  sat  at  the  head  table  and  assumed  parental  authori- 
ty, wielding  the  carving  knife  with  a  marked  degree  of  sat- 
isfaction. In  the  latter  part  of  1907  I  had  a  long  interview 
with  a  clear-brained  old  man,  Mr.  McHale,  who  had 
served  as  errand  boy  for  Mr.  Elliot  some  sixty  years  be- 
fore. He  was  a  boy-of-all-work,  not  only  saving  the  stew- 
ard many  steps,  but  also  assisting  Mrs.  Elliot  in  getting 
ready  the  large  brick  oven  w-here  her  famous  Brown  pies 
were  cooked.  This  oven  was  most  capacious,  occupying 
the  southwest  corner  of  University  Hall,  and  would  hold 
over  fifty  pies  at  one  time.  The  oven  was  first  filled  with 
wood,  and,  after  that  was  consumed,  the  hot  embers  and 
ashes  were  carefully  brushed  out  and  the  pies  placed  upon 
the  hot  bricks.  These  pies  were  indeed  wonderfully  good, 
and  many  old  graduates  refer  to  them  in  a  tender  strain. 

In  "commons"  the  dining  tables  were  composed  of 
boards  stretched  across  wooden  horses.  The  seniors 
were  distributed  among  the  different  tables  and  assisted 
in  maintaining  order.  The  breakfast  usually  consisted 
of  hot  brownbread,  crackers  and  milk,  the  steward  sli- 
cing the  bread  at  the  side  table  and  McHale  acting  as 
waiter.  The  tables  were  bountifully  spread,  considering 
the  low  price  paid  by  the  students,  one  dollar  per  week. 
When  anything  occurred  out  of  the  ordinary,  Mr.  Elliot 
would  repeatedly  rap  on  the  table  with  the  handle  of  the 
carving  knife. 

At  this  period  (1877)  University  Hall  looked  more  like 
a  well-battered  relic  than  an  institution  of  refinement  and 
culture.     The  constant  passing  of  stuqlents,  in  and  out, 


M. 


em  ones  o 


o/B 


row/i 


309 


for  nearly  a  century  and  a  half  had  greatly  worn  away 
the  old  steps  in  the  middle,  rendering  their  use  in  the 
winter  season  somewhat  hazardous.  The  low  ceilings 
and  poor  ventilation,  combined  with  suffocating  gases 
from  the  ancient  furnace  and  lack  of  sufficient  heat  in  the 


Anthony  McCabe 


recitation  rooms,  would  often  cause  the  class  to  "  cut." 
The  classroom  furniture  consisted  of  large  iron  chairs 
screwed  to  the  floor,  each  one  having  the  right  arm  large 
enough  to  hold  a  blank-book  and  inkwell  for  examination 
purposes,  and  once  each  quarter  of  a  century  they  would 
receive  a  coat  of  paint.     They  were  all  adorned  with  em- 


3 1 0  Memories  of  Brown 

blems  of  every  description  carved  out  of  the  thick  paint 
with  pocket  knives.  In  those  days  the  temperature  of  the 
lecture-room  in  winter  very  frequently  went  below  sixty 
degrees  and  the  iron  chairs  were  a  source  of  much  dis- 
comfort and  chilliness.  The  thoughtful  student  soon 
learned  to  carry  his  heaviest  overcoat  into  the  lecture- 
room  and  with  it  carefully  pad  these  dreaded  ice-cold 
chairs  which  seemed  never  to  get  warm.  In  Rhode  Island 
Hall  today  these  indestructible  chairs  are  still  to  be  found. 
As  it  is  impossible  to  wear  them  out  they  will  very  likely 
be  still  in  service  when  Brown  celebrates  her  bi-centennial. 

A  long,  narrow  and  very  high  walnut  table  instead  of  a 
desk  stood  on  a  low  platform.  When  the  professor  was 
seated  at  the  table  very  little  of  him  could  be  seen  except 
his  feet  and  legs.  One  day  the  students  determined  to 
perpetrate  a  joke  on  a  professor  who  was  of  a  very  ner- 
vous and  retiring  temperament.  After  they  had  taken 
their  seats  and  the  recitation  had  begun  they  all  fastened 
their  eyes  upon  his  feet,  and  as  a  consequence  the  feet 
and  legs  showed  positive  signs  of  unrest.  He  covered  his 
ankles  and  knees  and  made  unsuccessful  efforts  to  get  the 
conspicuous  feet  out  of  sight  but  to  no  purpose.  Before 
the  hour  was  half  over  the  learned  professor  could  endure 
the  nervous  strain  no  longer  and  abruptly  dismissed  the 
class.  Upon  assembling  the  following  day  the  students 
found  a  curtain  carefully  fastened  with  brass-headed  tacks 
all  around  the  legs  of  the  table. 

The  dilapidated  condition  of  the  students'  rooms  in 
University  Hall  rendered  them  uninviting,  the  repeated 
and  crude  repairs  made  by  the  college  authorities  inducing 
a  total  disregard  of  the  ancient  structure  on  the  part  of 
the  students,  while  the  carpenter's  bill  for  repairs  one  year 
amounted  to  ;^96o.  In  each  student's  room  was  a  large 
closet,  one  half  used  for  coal  and  the  other  half  for  a 
clothes-press,  and  in  nearly  every  instance  there   was  a 


M, 


em  ones  Oi 


B 


rown 


31 


sign-board  and  a  fish-horn  tucked  away  in  a  corner.  The 
most  prominent  thing  in  the  room  was  the  properly  named 
"  lazy  cord.''  One  end  was  attached  to  the  latch  on  the 
door,  and  then  the  crimson  cord  was  carried  on  pulleys 


Front  Campus.  Looking  North,  1908 


along  the  ceiling  to  the  centre  of  the  room  and  another 
end  was  suspended  over  the  desk  and  a  third  over  the  bed, 
another  by  the  window  and  also  still  another  near  the 
wash-stand.  The  purpose  of  all  this  paraphernalia  was  to 
avoid  getting  up  w^hen  a  rap  was  heard  on  the  door.     The 


312  Memories  of  Brown 

furniture  consisted  of  a  bedroom  set,  generally  of  pine  or 
ash  and  occasionally  of  walnut.  Many  of  the  rooms  had 
three  and  four  carpets  —  as  the  old  one  became  worn  a 
new  one  would  be  nailed  down  above  the  old,  thus  avoid- 
ing labor  which  the  students  regarded  as  useless. 

Many  of  the  floors  of  the  ancient  structure  were  worn 
and  slanted.  The  ceilings  were  cracked  and  the  plaster 
had  fallen  away  in  many  places,  and,  in  the  absence  of 
whitening  for  an  indeterminate  period,  became  very  dark, 
giving  a  gloomy  appearance  to  the  room.  The  old  win- 
dows that  served  so  many  years  became  so  rickety  and 
loose  that  nails  had  to  be  driven  in  to  keep  them  from 
ratthng  in  the  strong  winds.  The  doors  were  made  of 
soft  pine,  with  frames  and  panels  of  thin  material.  Very 
often  a  student  returning  from  recitation  in  a  hurry  would 
use  his  foot  to  enter  the  room.  The  repeated  changing  of 
locks  for  generations  and  the  repairing  of  holes  with  new 
wood  greatly  disfigured  the  doors  and  gave  them  the  ap- 
pearance of  being  ready  for  consignment  to  the  junk  heap. 
The  original  locks  looked  like  large  blocks  of  iron  nailed 
on  the  inside  of  the  door.  The  brass  keys  were  about 
six  inches  long  and  very  clumsy.  This  unsatisfactory 
condition  continued  until  about  1880,  when  Yale  locks 
were  furnished  for  each  door.  The  load  of  brass  and  iron 
in  the  shape  of  keys,  which  the  servant  had  previously 
carried  about  while  at  work,  was  laid  aside  and  he  re- 
ceived what  seemed  to  him  a  new  dispensation. 

Each  room  possessed  its  own  stove,  and  the  students, 
during  the  season  when  fires  were  needed,  emptied  all 
their  ashes  upon  the  hall  floors.  Each  floor  carried  its 
own  load  of  ashes  and  as  spring  advanced  the  deposit  be- 
came enormously  large.  It  must  have  been  through  the 
aid  of  divine  Providence  that  this  ancient  structure  never 
caught  fire  from  this  source.  Later,  galvanized  iron  bar- 
rels were  placed  upon  each  floor,  chained  to  a  corner  in 


Memories  of  Brown 


313 


the  hall,  to  prevent  the  students  from  rolling  them  down 
the  stairs  when  filled  with  ashes. 

University  Hall  did  not  have  any  water  supply  until 
about  1880,  nor  Hope  College  until  1885.  Each  student 
was  supposed  to  provide  water  for  himself  at  the  old  pump 


University  and  Slater  Halls.  1908 


at  the  east  of  Hope  College.  When  the  pipes  were  laid 
for  bringing  in  Pawtuxet  water  they  terminated  at  the 
northeast  corner  of  University  Hall  with  a  single  outside 
faucet  for  the  entire  university.  For  some  years  the  stu- 
dent body  depended  upon  this  source  for  supply. 

In  1879  some  of  the  students  clubbed  together  for  the 


1^^^ 


R 


OF   THE 


UNIVERSITY 


OF 


314  Memories  of  Brown 

purpose  of  securing  their  food  at  a  minimum  cost.  To 
this  end  one  of  their  number  was  appointed  to  purchase 
the  food  and  a  Mrs.  Niles  was  employed  to  do  the  cook- 
ing. The  enterprise  proved  a  success  and  many  of  the 
students  of  Hmited  means  were  benefited  by  it.  At  first 
the  south  end  of  the  basement  of  University  Hall  was 
fitted  up  for  a  dining-room  and  kitchen,  and  Mrs.  Niles 
soon  became  an  expert  in  making  johnny-cakes,  which 
were  greatly  appreciated  by  the  students,  Mrs.  Niles 
continued  to  cook  for  the  students  until  1883,  when  she 
was  obliged  to  move  on  account  of  the  renovating  of 
the  building.  However,  no  time  was  lost  in  securing  new 
quarters  at  the  old  parsonage  on  Angell  street,  where  she 
remained  until  the  time  of  the  building  of  the  new  parson- 
age. 

If  a  student  boarded  in  University  Hall,  he  entered  the 
basement  from  the  south  end  through  a  well-cultivated 
garden  in  which  there  was  an  old-fashioned  well,  while  near 
the  door  of  the  basement  stood  a  cherry  tree.  J  ust  beyond 
this  garden  stood  a  small  brick  building  known  among  the 
students  as  "  Sprague  Hall,"  which  cost  more  for  repairs 
proportionally  than  any  other  building  on  the  campus.  It 
is  dii^cult  to  understand  why  such  a  place  was  allowed 
to  exist,  for  it  was  abhorred  by  all,  and  many  attempts  were 
made  by  the  students  to  blow  it  up.  Finally,  in  1878,  it  was 
demolished  and  a  room  in  the  north  end  of  University  Hall 
was  fitted  up  to  serve  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  built. 
Slater  Hall  now  stands  on  the  site  once  occupied  by  this 
undesirable  edifice. 

An  old  graduate  with  whom  I  was  recently  conversing 
referred  to  the  following  incident  that  happened  at  the 
close  of  chapel  exercises,  then  held  in  University  Hall. 
During  the  absence  of  President  Wayland,  that  morning 
Dr.  Caswell  presided.  At  the  close  of  the  prayer  and  just 
as  he  was  about  to  pronounce  the  "  Amen  "  there  was  a 


M, 


emories  Oi 


Bro 


wn 


315 


terrific  explosion.  The  crashing  and  spHntering  of  wood, 
together  with  the  great  reverberation  through  the  halls 
caused  by  the  explosion,  at  first  gave  the  impression  that 
the  whole  interior  of  the  ancient  structure  was  being  vio- 
lently torn  asunder.     An  examination  showed  that  a  bomb 


South  End  of  Middle  Campus,  1908 
Rhode  Island  Hall  in  the  Centre 


of  large  proportions  had  been  carefully  placed  against  the 
chapel  door  and  so  timed  that  as  Dr.  Casw^ell  closed  his 
prayer  the  bomb  accentuated  the  "Amen  "  in  so  violent  a 
manner  as  to  rupture  the  door  and  tear  it  completely  off 
its  hinges,  filling  the  entire  building  with  the  smoke  and 


3 1 6  Memories  of  Brown 

fumes  of  burning  gunpowder.  As  Dr.  Caswell  departed, 
a  sympathetic  student  gently  laid  his  hand  on  the  profes- 
sor's arm,  deprecating  such  action  on  the  part  of  anyone 
who  could  so  far  forget  himself  as  wantonly  to  destroy 
property  and  bring  desecration  upon  a  religious  service. 
That  student  was  the  one  who  placed  the  bomb.  His 
connection  with  the  episode  remained  unsuspected. 

The  living  rooms  occupied  by  Mr.  Douglas,  the  regis- 
trar and  steward,  at  the  south  end  of  University  Hall 
were  nine  in  number,  ten  if  we  count  an  undesirable  bed- 
room, and  were  of  good  size.  The  main  hall  of  the  first 
floor  of  the  dormitory,  which  ran  lengthwise  of  the  build- 
ing, abruptly  ended  at  his  front  door,  from  which  a  com- 
manding outlook  could  be  had  the  length  and  breadth  of 
this  hybrid  of  dormitory,  lecture-rooms,  servants'  quarters 
and  dwelling-house,  where  learned  professors,  students, 
young  children,  male  servants  and  housemaids  all  met  in 
a  most  democratic  fashion.  Upon  passing  through  his 
front  door  one  entered  a  wide  hall,  of  the  same  width  as 
the  hall  above  referred  to.  Upon  the  west  side  were  his 
library  and  parlor ;  upon  the  opposite  side  his  sitting-room 
and  bedroom.  The  stairs  were  upon  this  side  beginning 
near  the  entrance.  The  basement  stairs,  upon  the  oppo- 
site side,  led  below  to  the  dining-rooms,  one  for  the  use 
of  his  own  family  and  the  other  for  the  servants.  Also  in 
the  basement  were  the  kitchen  and  laundry. 

The  University  Hall  of  this  period  was  a  place  of  many 
odors  and  noises.  During  the  early  years  of  Mr.  Douglas's 
services  as  registrar  he  was  much  annoyed  by  some  of  the 
students  permitting  their  cooking  vegetables  to  burn  to  a 
cinder  while  absent  at  their  recitations.  In  those  days 
many  of  the  young  men  boarded  themselves,  doing  their 
own  cooking  ;  thus  often  the  building  would  be  filled  with 
the  odor  of  scorched  turnips  and  cabbage,  which  certainly 
seemed  out  of  place  in  a  building  devoted  to  culture. 


M. 


emories 


of  Bro 


wn 


317 


The  walls  of  U  niversity  Hall  must  have  been  constructed 
of  durable  material  in  order  to  have  withstood  the  many 
shocks  and  concussions  to  which  they  were  subjected  at 
midnight.  The  students  returning  from  their  fraternity 
meetings  would  keep  up  a  continuous  noise,  jumping  and 


Us. 

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East  View  of  Hope  College,  1<! 


pounding  on  the  doors  with  their  canes,  and  shouting  at 
the  top  of  their  voices.  These  thunderous  concussions 
would  reverberate  through  the  long  passages  and  soon 
everyone  was  wide  awake,  for  sleep  was  impossible.  One 
of  the  most  effective  noise  makers  was  a  large  cannon-ball 


3 1 8  Memories  of  Brown 

that  weighed  about  sixteen  pounds.  When  it  was  set 
rolhng  along  the  halls  and  came  bounding  down  the  stairs 
in  the  early  morning,  some  idea  can  be  formed  of  the  an- 
noyance to  those  who  occupied  sleeping  rooms  in  the 
building.  No  wonder  the  upper  hall  was  called  "  Pande- 
monium." The  cannon-ball  was  captured  by  President 
Caswell,  and  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Professor  Clarke. 

On  one  occasion  a  large  cylinder  stove  was  left  in  the 
hall  outside  the  door  on  the  fourth  floor,  where  several 
students  found  it  when  returning  to  their  rooms  after  mid- 
night. Securing  a  rope  and  fastening  one  end  around  the 
stove,  they  descended  the  stairs  dragging  down  the  stove 
till  the  last  fragment  was  left  at  the  door  of  the  Sears 
Reading  Room.  By  this  time  everybody  in  the  building 
was  up  to  see  what  had  happened,  for  the  awful  crashing 
and  din  caused  by  the  stove  and  its  mad  descent  down 
the  stairs  in  the  stillness  of  the  night  were  most  terrifying. 
Fully  equal  to  this  was  the  explosion  of  gunpowder  in  the 
hall  and  the  rolling  of  dumbbells,  boulders  and  iron  bar- 
rels on  the  hall  floors,  which  greatly  disturbed  those  who 
were  trying  to  sleep.  These  iron  barrels  were  placed  at 
each  end  of  the  hall  and  chained  to  the  wall  and  were 
used  as  ash  bins.  Very  often  the  locks  w^ould  be  broken 
and  the  contents  scattered  about  the  halls.  The  stair 
treads  were  made  of  solid  oak  timber  and  hollowed  by 
more  than  a  century  of  constant  use,  lopsided,  rickety  and 
difficult  of  ascent.  They  certainly  presented  a  sorry 
aspect  when  strewn  with  cinders  and  ashes. 

But  odor  and  noise  were  not  the  only  annoyances  for 
the  residents  of  University  Hall.  In  1879  occurred  the 
"  Deluge."  It  was  the  custom  to  wash  the  windows  of  the 
building  twice  each  year,  in  April  and  September,  and 
for  this  purpose  two  large  puncheons  of  water  were  placed 
in  the  hallway.  On  this  particular  occasion  of  which  we 
are  to  speak  the  work  began  on  the  fourth  floor  in  the 


Memories  of  Brow?t  3 1 9 

south  end  of  the  building,  and  the  puncheons  of  water 
were  placed  near  the  head  of  the  stairs.  Soon  after  these 
preparations  were  completed  the  servants  were  called 
down  stairs  for  a  short  time,  and  this  gave  an  opportunity 
for  mischief  which  was  quickly  improved  by  one  of  the 
students,  whose  room  was  near  the  head  of  the  stairs. 
He  noiselessly  opened  his  door  and  seizing  the  puncheons 
toppled  them  over  with  their  contents  dow^n  the  stairs,  and 
then  stepping  quickly  back  into  his  room  resumed  his 
studies  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Meanwhile  the 
water  poured  down  the  stairs  and  came  through  the  cracks 
of  the  ceiling  in  great  quantities.  Everyone  was  sur- 
prised at  the  sudden  appearance  of  the  flood,  except  the 
registrar,  who  at  once  understood  the  cause  of  the  trouble. 
The  water  came  over  the  side  of  the  staircase  and  fell  just 
outside  of  the  door  of  the  registrar's  oflfice  in  such  a  vol- 
ume that  for  a  time  no  one  could  get  out  of  the  apartment. 
As  soon  as  an  opportunity  came  for  the  professors  to 
leave  their  rooms,  the  servants  were  summoned  to  the  of- 
fice, and  a  thorough  investigation  began.  One  of  the  of- 
ficers was  instructed  to  proceed  to  the  fourth  floor  and 
take  the  names  of  all  the  students  found  there.  On  arriv- 
ing in  the  hall  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  out  of  the 
way.  The  usual  rap  was  given  at  the  door  of  the  guilty 
one,  the  "  lazy  cord  "  responded,  and  the  of^cer  entered, 
but  found  the  student  at  his  desk  apparently  deeply  inter- 
ested in  his  work.  After  the  usual  morning  greeting,  the 
officer  said  that  he  was  authorized  to  call  and  take  the 
names  of  all  the  students  on  that  floor  at  the  time  of  the 
deluge,  and  ascertain  if  possible  the  one  responsible  for 
the  daring  act.  The  student  said  that  he  had  heard  some- 
thing going  on  out  in  the  hall,  but  as  commotions  were 
common  he  had  thought  nothing  more  about  it,  being 
very  much  absorbed  in  translating  several  passages  in 
Latin.     The  investigation  resulted  in  finding  out  nothing, 


320 


Memories  of  Brown 


and  the  students  were  never  brought  to  account  for  the 
deluge  of  1879. 


The  Old  Library  in  Manning  Hall 


The  arrangement  of  the  rooms  in  University  Hall  dif- 
fered  considerably  from   the   present   day.     In   general 


Memories  of  Brown  321 

there  were  fourteen  rooms  on  each  floor,  seven  on  the 
east  and  seven  on  the  west  side.  Of  the  seven,  six  were 
dormitory  rooms,  three  on  either  side  of  the  large  central 
recitation-room. 

The  renovation  of  University  Hall  began  in  April  of 
1883,  when  the  work  of  altering  the  interior  was  under- 
taken and  completed  for  the  fall  term,  at  a  cost  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  All  of  the  old  woodwork  was  removed 
and  new  put  in  its  place,  while  the  brick  exterior  remained 
untouched.  The  old  timber  was  of  red  oak  and  each  end 
was  laid  in  cement  of  a  very  hard  and  superior  quality,  so 
hard  that  it  would  resist  a  cold  chisel. 

From  the  old  timbers  were  made  canes,  picture-frames, 
pen-holders  and  rulers,  also  round  buttons  were  hollowed 
out  large  enough  to  hold  a  picture  of  the  building  and  a 
poem  printed  on  a  brown  card,  with  an  acorn  suspended 
by  a  brown  ribbon.  The  canes  were  sold  for  one  dollar 
each  at  the  college  and  mailed  to  any  alumnus  in  the 
country  for  two  dollars.  Some  of  the  picture-frames  were 
handsomely  carved  and  even  sold  for  fifty  dollars  each. 
On  class  days  for  several  years  these  souvenirs  were  for 
sale  on  the  campus  and  hundreds  were  sold  to  alumni  all 
over  the  country. 

The  final  restoration  of  University  Hall  was  under- 
taken as  late  as  1905.  In  the  summer  of  1835  the  old 
brick  walls  of  University  Hall  had  been  covered  with 
plaster  and  painted  a  dark-green  color.  In  more  recent 
years  the  friends  of  Brown  longed  to  see  it  restored  to 
its  historic  harmony  of  coloring.  Finally  through  the 
generosity  of  Mr.  Marsden  J.  Perry,  the  work  of  restora- 
tion began  in  the  summer  of  1905,  and  was  completed  in 
time  for  the  opening  of  the  college  in  September  of  the 
same  year. 

No  work  of  recent  years  has  added  so  much  of  beauty 
and  charm  to  the  external  appearance   of   this   colonial 


322 


Memories  of  Brown 


building  as  the  restoration  of  the  old  brickwork,  giving 
the  rich  coloring  which  is  only  possessed  by  structures  of 
ancient  lineage.      May  the  hand  of  vandals  never  again 


The  Old  Meeting-house 


cover  up  these  beautiful  lines  by  cheap  stucco !  This  be- 
loved building,  the  only  reminder  of  the  early  struggles  of 
the  university,  has  now  come  to  its  own,  and  crowns  old 
College  Hill,  the  noblest  pile  of  all  the  buildings  there. 


Me7?iories  of  Brown  323 

Hope  College 

Hope  College,  erected  in  1822,  and  hence  not  so  old 
by  half  a  century  as  University  Hall,  was  in  its  early  days 
in  niany  respects  inferior  to  the  latter.  In  the  point  of 
sanitary  conditions,  it  was  very  poor.  It  had  no  cellar 
until  1885,  '^^^  J^o  drainage  except  a  small  pipe  leading 
from  the  south  division.  All  the  waste  water  from  the  in- 
side had  to  be  carried  and  deposited  in  a  large  iron  bowl 
in  the  south  division.  Very  often  during  the  winter  sea- 
son the  water  would  freeze  in  the  pipes,  resulting  in  the 
throwing  of  the  water  from  the  windows,  leaving  unsightly 
traces  upon  the  snow,  and  causing  complaints  to  be  made 
to  the  president.  The  city  water  had  not  been  conducted 
into  any  portion  of  Hope  previous  to  1885.  In  all  the 
forty-eight  rooms  occupied  by  nearly  one  hundred  stu- 
dents every  drop  of  water  used  was  brought  in  pitchers 
from  the  good  old  well  just  in  the  rear  of  the  building,  by 
no  means  a  pleasant  task  upon  a  cold  winter  morning  for 
those  occupying  the  upper  floors. 

Previous  to  1879,  it  was  customary  for  the  students, 
each  of  whom  operated  a  coal  stove,  to  deposit  their  ashes 
upon  the  bare  floor  in  a  corner  of  the  several  halls,  mak- 
ing altogether  some  twelve  different  places  of  deposit  in 
the  building.  There  was,  as  has  been  said,  no  cellar  be- 
neath the  building  where  the  ashes  could  be  carried,  and 
each  room  possessed  but  two  narrow  closets,  one  for 
clothing  and  the  other  for  a  coal  bin.  The  frequent  pro- 
tests of  the  students  at  these  unpleasant  conditions  finally 
resulted  in  steps  being  taken  to  improve  the  appearance 
of  the  halls.  Large  iron  ash-cans  chained  to  the  wall  were 
placed  in  each  hallway.  Frequently  when  in  a  hurry  the 
student  would  throw  a  hod  well  heaped  with  ashes  bodily 
into  the  receptacle,  leaving  a  portion  of  the  ashes  in  the 
can  and  the  remainder  scattered  about  the  hall.     Thus 


324  Memories  of  B 


rown 


did  many  of  the  students  try  in  every  conceivable  way  to 
annoy  the  college  authorities  and  render  their  labor  more 
difficult. 

The  subject  of  coal  supply  brings  to  mind  an  incident 
which  happened  in  the  early  eighties.  Three  students 
(A,  B  and  C)  engaged  room  i8,  Hope  College,  and  early 
in  the  autumn  put  in  a  supply  of  coal  for  the  winter. 
Two  of  the  young  men  (A  and  B)  failed  in  their  first  ex- 
amination and  left  college,  giving  up  their  plans  for  a 
higher  education.  This  action  entailed  upon  their  com- 
rade the  entire  expense  of  the  room,  which  he  was  unable 
to  meet,  thereby  compelling  him  to  give  up  the  room  as 
well  as  to  secure  a  purchaser  for  the  coal.  By  this  time 
nearly  all  the  students  had  provided  for  their  supply.  It 
was  well  into  the  winter  before  the  young  man  could  dis- 
pose of  the  coal.  In  the  meantime  the  students  in  the 
adjoining  room  were  having  a  comfortable  and  cosy  time 
in  their  well-heated  apartment.  These  students  were 
close  friends  of  the  young  man  in  room  i8,  who  was  a  daily 
caller  in  this  room.  His  welcome  was  always  most  cordial, 
and  he  enjoyed  to  the  utmost  the  well-heated  quarters 
during  those  early  days  of  winter,  and  often  remarked 
how  bright  and  cheerful  the  roaring  fire  appeared.  Now 
the  coal  closets  of  the  two  rooms  adjoined,  being  separated 
only  by  a  light  partition.  The  students  deprecated  the 
fact  that  so  much  good  coal  on  the  other  side  of  the  parti- 
tion was  not  serving  its  purpose,  and  decided  to  put  it  to 
a  better  use.  Promptly,  therefore,  they  acted  by  cutting 
a  small  opening  through  the  partition  and  a  most  bounti- 
ful supply  of  coal  was  at  their  disposal.  One  bitterly  cold 
evening  in  particular,  Mr.  C  called  and  remarked  to  his 
friends,  "  This  is  a  delightful  fire  for  such  a  cold  night." 
"  Yes,"  replied  one  of  them  and  at  the  same  time  requested 
his  roommate  to  heap  the  fire  still  higher  as  their  old 
friend  had  just  come  in  and  enjoyed  the  roaring  blaze. 


Memories  of  Brown  325 

This  was  done  so  freely  that  the  unsuspecting  owner  of 
the  coal  asked  them  if  they  were  not  somewhat  extrava- 
gant in  the  use  of  the  coal,  also  remarking,  "  Well,  this  is 
certainly  delightful,"  as  he  stretched  his  arms  towards  the 
red  hot  stove.  Thus  day  after  day  he  unwittingly  enjoyed 
the  heat  from  his  own  coal.  Finally,  after  long  delay,  he 
found  a  customer,  and  hastened  to  his  former  room  only 
to  find  an  empty  coal  bin.  It  did  not  appease  his  wrath 
when  he  realized  that  all  the  comforts  he  had  enjoyed 
at  the  room  of  his  dear  friends  during  the  cold  winter 
nights  were  paid  for  by  himself. 

It  was  at  Hope  College  that  the  disturbing  element  lo- 
cated itself  and  carried  on  hazing  to  a  high  degree.  On 
one  occasion  a  crowd  of  sophomores  gathered  in  the  north 
division  to  haze  a  freshman,  when  he  fired  into  the  air  two 
shots  from  a  revolver  for  the  purpose  of  intimidating  the 
hazers.  It  had  the  desired  effect ;  all  fled  from  the  room. 
The  sophomore  nearest  to  the  revolver  thought  he  had 
been  shot,  and  his  classmates  took  him  to  a  street  lamp 
and  hunted  him  over  for  bullet  holes.  The  freshman  is 
now  a  biologist  of  national  fame. 

Another  interesting  case  of  hazing  took  place  in  room 
20,  first  floor,  middle  division,  east  side.  About  eighteen 
masked  students  called  on  a  freshman  and  requested  him 
to  mount  a  table  and  make  a  speech.  It  was  not  long  be- 
fore a  crowd  gathered  about  the  door  of  the  room  and  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  officers  of  the  college.  The 
registrar  and  a  servant  appeared  at  the  door  and  upon  be- 
ing refused  admittance  ordered  the  door  forced  open. 
With  the  aid  of  an  axe  this  was  accomplished.  While 
the  entrance  was  being  forced,  the  lights  were  suddenly 
extinguished  and  all  the  hazers  escaped  through  the 
windows,  taking  the  glass  and  sash  with  them.  The 
freshman  was  left  standing  on  the  table.  The  registrar 
requested  him  to  come  down,  telling  him  that  he  would 


326  Memories  of  Brown 

furnish  him  with  a  bed  for  the  remaining  part  of  the 
night.  The  most  remarkable  feature  of  this  incident  is 
that  all  escaped  identification. 

It  was  a  well-known  fact  that  no  outsider  could  enter 
and  leave  the  building  without  receiving  some  attention 
at  the  hands  of  the  students  that  was  often  not  agreeable. 
One  of  the  victims  who  suffered  most  was  the  express- 
man. As  soon  as  he  entered  the  building  the  students 
would  hasten  from  their  rooms  and  loosen  all  the  straps 
that  were  attached  to  the  wagon.  Only  for  the  impertur- 
bable good  nature  of  the  honest  man  he  would  soon  have 
declined  to  enter  the  building  at  all  and  left  the  young 
men  to  go  to  the  company's  office  for  their  parcels. 

At  the  period  when  stoves  w^ere  in  use  in  Hope  Col- 
lege, it  was  common  for  students  to  shave  themselves, 
taking  advantage  of  the  stoves  to  heat  the  water.  When 
in  a  hurry  they  would  seize  the  most  convenient  vessel  at 
hand.  The  old  pump  did  not  escape,  but  frequently  had 
to  give  up  the  iron  dipper  that  hung  by  its  side.  This 
state  of  affairs  did  not  meet  the  approval  of  the  students 
in  general,  for  the  students  in  University  Hall  also  had 
to  draw  from  the  old  pump.  Finally  there  appeared  one 
morning  a  very  large  iron  dipper  with  the  inscription  cut 
upon  the  inside,  "  Presented  to  Brown  University  by 
Charles  M.  Sheldon,"  one  of  the  young  men  then  room- 
ing in  Hope  College.  A  few  days  later  the  dipper  disap- 
peared and  another  one  with  the  same  inscription,  but 
much  smaller,  was  promptly  put  in  its  place,  which  latter 
gift  also  lasted  but  a  short  while.  For  many  years  the 
old  pump  remained  under  these  conditions,  until  the  class 
of  1904  presented  the  college  with  a  new  pump  and  the 
old  one  was  removed  to  the  Brown  Union,  where  it  will 
continue  to  recall  memories  of  many  interesting  incidents 
connected  with  its  long  service. 

Hope  College  was  thoroughly  and  extensively  renovated 


Memories  of  Brown  327 

during  the  summer  vacation  of  1884,  the  alterations  re- 
sulting in  a  great  improvement  over  the  previous  un- 
pleasant conditions. 

Manning  Hall 

Manning  Hall  was  erected  in  1837  and  named  in  honor 
of  Brown's  first  president,  James  Manning.  It  was  built 
of  rough,  uncut  flat  stones  gathered  from  the  neighboring 
hillside.  These  were  laid  in  plaster,  which  was  also  ap- 
plied to  the  exterior  walls.  In  a  recent  conversation  with 
an  old  contractor,  J.  H.  Pierce,  I  learned  that  in  1861  he 
removed  this  original  coat  of  plaster,  and  picking  out  the 
loose  stones  in  the  walls  applied  "a  dash  coat  of  lime 
and  sand,"  there  being  no  Portland  cement  in  the  market 
at  that  period.  It  is  not  generally  known  that  the  lofty 
and  gracefully  turned  Doric  columns  at  the  front  are  en- 
tirely constructed  of  brick  around  a  hollow  central  core. 
The  circular  walls  of  these  pillars  are  eight  or  nine  inches 
thick.  Mr.  Pierce  also  at  the  same  date  executed  the 
fluting  upon  these  columns  of  an  exceptionally  hard 
plaster. 

The  only  method  of  heating  Manning  Hall  employed 
for  the  first  fifteen  years  was  by  means  of  stoves.  There 
was  no  cellar  beneath  the  structure  until  the  early  fifties. 
With  the  exception  of  repainting,  the  exterior  covering  of 
the  walls  has  remained  the  same  to  the  present  time.  Mr. 
Pierce  ran  counter  to  the  mischievous  prank-playing  of 
the  students  in  these  repairs  as  well  as  in  other  work  about 
the  campus.  His  men  had  much  difficulty  in  keeping  his 
heavy  forty-foot  ladder  in  position,  as  whenever  they  were 
absent  even  for  an  hour  the  great  ladder  would  be  lowered 
to  the  ground. 

This  noble  Greek  temple  has  been  subject  to  many 
changes.     The  first  in  importance  came  in   1886,   when 


328  Memories  of  Brown 


the  three  ancient  furnaces,  which  in  cold  weather  often 
failed  to  raise  the  temperature  above  fifty  degrees,  were 
removed  and  steam  heat  was  introduced.  The  walls  of 
the  chapel  at  this  time  were  of  a  dark  and  smoky  hue, 
which  imparted  a  decidedly  gloomy  and  sombre  appear- 
ance. In  the  centre  of  the  platform  stood  an  old  fash- 
ioned pulpit  with  a  green  top  and  a  rest  for  the  Bible. 
This  pulpit,  which  was  fenced  in  and  entered  by  small 
double  doors  swinging  in,  was  long  ago  removed  to  give 
place  to  a  modern  desk. 

In  front  of  the  pulpit,  but  on  the  same  floor  as  the  seats, 
stood  the  cabinet  organ.  It  was  a  Mason  &  Hamlin 
organ  and  of  small  size  for  so  large  a  hall.  The  students, 
however,  were  justly  proud  of  the  instrument  as  it  had  re- 
markable volume  and  a  fine  tone.  Contrary  to  the  cus- 
tom nowadays,  the  organ  was  so  placed  that  the  organist 
faced  the  audience.  The  singing  at  the  morning  exer- 
cises was  led  by  this  organ  up  to  1889,  when  a  much  larg- 
er one  was  obtained.  The  seating  arrangement  was 
much  the  same  in  Manning  Hall  as  it  is  now  in  the  pres- 
ent chapel,  although,  of  course,  on  a  much  smaller  scale, 
there  being  only  accommodation  for  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  students.  Each  settee  was  numbered  on  the 
back,  and  they  were  placed  in  four  rows.  The  freshmen 
and  sophomores  occupied  the  two  outside  rows  and  the 
juniors  and  seniors  the  two  centre  rows.  On  both  the 
left  and  right  of  the  pulpit  seats  were  arranged  for  mem- 
bers of  the  faculty.  At  this  time  the  professors  as  well 
as  the  students  were  required  to  attend  morning  prayers, 
and  each  professor  walked  out  at  the  head  of  his  class. 

President  Robinson  was  the  first  to  enter.  It  was  in- 
teresting to  see  him  rise  to  speak,  for  no  one  could  help 
admiring  the  dignity  and  venerable  appearance  of  this 
man  with  snow  white  hair,  as  he  rose  slowly,  and  then 
straightened   himself   up,   thrusting  one   hand   into   his 


Memories  of  Brown  329 

pocket.  The  alumni  will  also  recall  the  great  regularity 
with  which  he  did  everything.  One  student  often  set  his 
clock  by  the  rising  of  the  shades  in  the  president's  study, 
which  he  could  plainly  see  from  his  room  in  University 
Hall.  At  the  first  sound  of  the  bell  President  Robinson 
would  open  the  door  of  his  home  and  slowly  descend  the 
steps,  and  he  would  be  in  the  pulpit  before  the  bell 
stopped  ringing,  which  was  in  three  minutes.  In  five 
minutes  from  the  first  stroke  of  the  bell  the  chapel  doors 
were  closed.  No  matter  if  a  student  had  run  all  the  way 
up  College  Hill  and  was  on  the  last  step  when  the  door 
was  closing,  he  dared  not  enter.  A  most  disgraceful  hiss- 
ing and  very  unpleasant  disturbance  arose  one  morning, 
when  the  professor  of  rhetoric  entered  the  chapel  im- 
mediately after  the  door  was  shut.  On  several  occasions 
students  w^ho  were  late  in  rising  w^ould  don  a  pair  of  slip- 
pers and  a  long  dressing-gown,  and  in  this  scant  attire 
rush  into  the  chapel  while  the  door  was  closing  at  their 
heels. 

After  the  renovating  of  University  Hall  in  1883,  the 
president's  lecture-room  was  removed  from  this  structure 
to  the  old  library-room  on  the  lower  floor  in  Manning 
Hall.  This  change  was  greatly  appreciated  by  the  stu- 
dents, the  new  room  being  a  vast  improvement  over  the 
old  lecture-room,  which  was  small,  inconvenient  and  low- 
studded.  The  new  room  was  supplied  with  sixty  slender 
pine  tables,  seventeen  inches  square,  having  a  shallow^ 
drawer,  three  by  tw^elve  inches,  designed  for  the  students' 
stationery.  At  the  close  of  the  lecture  the  students  in 
their  haste  to  leave  would  often  push  the  tables  and 
chairs  rapidly  aside,  thereby  causing  such  a  commotion 
that  the  noise  could  be  heard  over  the  entire  campus. 

A  contractor  of  those  days,  the  Mr.  Pierce  previously 
referred  to,  still  living  at  an  advanced  age,  clearly  recalls 
an  incident  that  Mr.  Elliot,  the  college  steward,  related 


330  Memories  of  Brown 

in  the  forties.  A  well-known  lecturer  was  to  speak 
in  the  chapel.  The  steward  with  the  assistance  of  the 
servants  collected  all  the  chairs  and  benches,  placing 
them  in  order  the  evening  previous.  Securely  locking 
the  door  he  retired  for  the  night.  Being  somewhat  wake- 
ful he  arose  soon  after  midnight,  thinking  he  would  in- 
spect the  lecture-room.  What  was  his  amazement  to  find 
the  chapel  empty  of  all  chairs  and  benches,  and  absolute 
stillness  prevailing.  He  at  once  awakened  the  servants 
and  began  a  thorough  search  for  the  missing  chairs. 
Finally,  towards  morning,  they  were  discovered  in  a 
swamp  near  Thayer  street.  Upon  returning  the  chairs 
to  the  chapel,  Mr.  Elliot  remained  upon  guard  in  the 
room  until  the  usual  exercises  of  the  day  began.  At  the 
close  of  the  steward's  long  service  at  Brown,  a  well-known 
educator  called  upon  him  and  speaking  of  this  incident 
stated  that  he  was  one  of  the  boys  that  took  an  active 
part  in  this  affair.  The  educator  later  became  president 
of  a  college. 

Rhode  Island  Hall 

Rhode  Island  Hall,  erected  in  1840,  was  one  of  the 
prominent  buildings  in  the  seventies.  Among  the  famil- 
iar faces  to  be  seen  there  were  those  of  Professors  Jenks, 
Parsons,  Greene,  Blake  and  John  Peirce.  At  almost  any 
time  of  the  day  or  night,  one  of  these  men  could  be  found 
at  work  in  his  particular  department. 

Professor  Blake  occupied  a  private  room  in  Rhode  Is- 
land Hall,  where  he  conducted  a  great  part  of  his  experi- 
ments and  researches  in  physics.  Here  he  was  wont  to 
meet  those  students  particularly  interested  in  the  scien- 
tific work  of  his  department.  He  would  devote  hours  at 
a  time  to  this  work  with  the  students,  who  came  to  look 
upon  their  teacher  with  a  great  deal  of  affection.     There 


Memories  of  Brow ti  331 

was  not  a  man  upon  the  entire  teaching  force  of  the  col- 
lege who  devoted  his  time  more  assiduously  to  the  devel- 
opment of  his  particular  department  than  Professor 
Blake.  His  aim  was  not  simply  to  teach  the  class  phys- 
ics, but  to  improve,  if  possible,  every  scientific  instrument 
employed  to  impart  that  knowledge.  He  was  by  no 
means  satisfied  with  the  best,  as  it  then  existed,  but  was 
constantly  seeking  to  add  improvements  or  else  to  design 
entirely  independent  apparatus.  This  very  arduous 
labor  was  carried  on  in  Rhode  Island  Hall  from  early  in 
the  morning  until  far  in  the  night.  There  in  his  labora- 
tory he  could  be  found  at  almost  any  hour,  outside  of  his 
classroom  work,  designing  new  apparatus  and  improving 
instruments  of  precision  for  teaching  purposes,  as  well  as 
for  physical  investigation.  He  possessed  preeminent  me- 
chanical ability  as  well  as  inventive  genius  to  a  high  de- 
gree. It  has  been  profoundly  regretted  by  his  intimate 
associates  that  his  routine  work  of  the  classroom  so  oc- 
cupied his  time  as  to  preclude  that  development  of  the 
spirit  of  invention  which  he  markedly  showed  in  at  least 
two  directions,  certain  important  discoveries  in  photog- 
raphy, also  in  the  improvement  of  the  telephone. 

The  walls  of  the  museum  at  this  period  were  almost  en- 
tirely covered  by  portraits  done  in  oil  of  many  well-known 
benefactors  of  the  college  and  of  the  older  professors,  as 
well  as  of  men  and  women  w^ho  have  become  eminent  in 
other  spheres  of  usefulness.  This  well-known  collection 
of  portraits  was  being  constantly  added  to  by  gift,  so  that 
the  walls  became  greatly  crowded  and  the  paintings  were 
seen  at  much  disadvantage.  It  was  thought  best  not  to 
divide  the  collection  and  distribute  it  among  the  different 
buildings,  since  that  would  detract  much  from  its  interest 
and  value.  This  difificulty  was  solved  by  the  erection  of 
Sayles  Memorial  Hall,  and  this  extremely  valuable  col- 
lection was  soon  transferred  to  the  new  location. 


332  Memories  of  Brown 

Professor  Jenks  came  to  Brown  University  in  1874  as 
director  of  the  museum  of  natural  history.  Entering  up- 
on his  work  with  much  energy  and  enthusiasm,  he  soon 
gathered  a  multitude  of  objects,  both  curious  and  instruc- 
tive. He  used  the  southwest  corner  of  the  basement  as  a 
dissecting-room,  and  the  walls  were  well  covered  with  all 
kinds  of  serpents,  lizards,  toads  and  strange  reptiles. 
One  of  the  most  difficult  specimens  to  prepare  was  a 
large  sea  turtle  caught  in  Buzzards  Bay  in  1881.  It 
weighed  about  one  hundred  pounds,  but  its  weight  was 
not  to  be  compared  to  the  strength  of  the  odor  which 
arose  while  the  professor  was  preparing  it  for  final  exhi- 
bition. After  it  had  received  the  proper  treatment  it  was 
kept  in  alcohol  for  more  than  a  year,  and  then  taken  to 
the  attic.  This  attic  was  so  low-studded  that  an  ordinary 
man  could  not  stand  erect,  and  there  w'ere  no  windows 
and  no  means  of  ventilation  except  by  opening  the  scut- 
tle. The  greatest  w^onder  was  how  the  professor  could 
work  for  hours  in  this  confined  place  with  the  utmost  in- 
difference to  the  foul  atmosphere.  Only  a  naturalist  can 
understand  and  fully  appreciate  the  disagreeableness  of 
the  task.  He  continued  at  his  labors,  disregarding  the 
dampness  of  his  room  in  the  basement,  which  finally 
caused  him  to  lose  the  control  of  his  feet,  and  for  several 
months  he  was  unable  to  walk. 

Professor  Jenks  could  be  seen  at  the  museum  at  any 
season  of  the  year  except  while  he  was  abroad  collecting 
specimens  for  it.  Often  when  visitors  entered  the  room 
and  became  interested  in  some;,,  object,  suddenly  there 
would  arise  a  loud  voice  from  across  the  room,  and  look- 
ing around  they  would  see  a  venerable  old  man  with  a 
long  beard  as  white  as  snow,  having  on  his  head  a  small 
cap  ornamented  with  blue  trimming.  In  a  pleasant  and 
interesting  manner  he  would  explain  all  about  the  speci- 
men, where  it  existed  and  how  it  was  secured  for  the  mu- 


Memories  of  Brown  333 

seum.  When  Professor  Jenks  was  a  boy  of  sixteen  he 
began  to  keep  a  diary  and  became  most  methodical  and 
diligent  in  the  entering  of  every  detail  of  a  life  filled  with 
boundless  activities  and  daily  research.  This  labor  con- 
tinued without  interruption  during  the  remainder  of  his 
long  life  and  ended  only  a  few  weeks  previous  to  his 
death  in  September,  1894,  at  an  advanced  age.  The  man- 
uscript of  this  diary  is  most  voluminous,  comprising  over 
half  a  million  words.  It  was  divided  into  two  general  di- 
visions— the  larger  portion  his  "  Biography,"  and  the 
smaller  entitled  "  The  Journeys."  During  the  summer 
of  1894  he  engaged  me  to  make  six  typewritten  copies  of 
the  manuscript.  The  typewritten  copy  was  never  to  be 
printed,  and  was  to  be  adorned  throughout  with  beautiful 
illustrations  gathered  at  intervals  during  his  long  life  from 
widely  separated  places.  Each  volume  consisted  of  one 
hundred  leaves.  As  rapidly  as  a  volume  was  completed 
I  carried  the  sheets  to  Professor  Jenks  for  any  additions 
or  corrections  he  might  desire.  I  very  clearly  recall  the 
great  pleasure  and  elation  he  manifested  upon  the  com- 
pletion of  each  volume.  His  death  occurred  before  the 
entire  task  was  finished.  When  I  called  upon  him  at  his 
room  on  College  street  only  a  few  hours  before  his  death, 
his  mind  being  still  active  and  clear,  he  remarked,  as  if 
foreseeing  what  w^as  very  soon  to  occur,  "  If  I  should  be 
called  suddenly  to  my  heavenly  home,  my  son  will  carry 
out  my  plan."  He  then  made  out  his  check  and  paid  me 
for  my  services,  this  act  being  his  last  business  transac- 
tion. Soon  after  he  passed  away.  His  wish  as  to  the 
final  completion  of  the  work  was  sacredly  regarded  and 
fulfilled  by  his  son,  Elisha  T.  Jenks.  Upon  completion 
the  "  Biography "  comprised  nine  volumes  and  "  The 
Journeys"  six  volumes,  a  total  of  fifteen  hundred  type- 
written pages. 

AntJiouy  McCabc. 


The  C>esar  Augustus  Statue 
Given  to  the  University  by  M.  B.  I.  Goddard.  1854 


Memories  of  Brown  335 


Brilliant  Seventy-eight 


THE  second  division  of  '78  was  as  formidable  an 
aggregation  as  ever  broke  a  college  law  or 
stampeded  a  classroom.  It  resolved  with 
singleness  of  heart  that  it  could  and  would 
do  something,  in  its  feeble  way,  to  broaden  the  minds 
of  the  professors;  that  instead  of  the  second  division 
seeking  to  stand  well  in  the  esteem  of  the  professors, 
it  should  be  that  the  peace  of  mind  and  the  pleasant- 
ness of  a  professor's  well-being  should  depend  upon  his 
good  standing  with  the  second  division,  and  that  all  the 
jokes  and  pleasantries  must  be  supplied  by  the  second  di- 
vision !  It  was  resolved  that  all  jokes  emanating  from  a 
professor  should  be  received  with  unsmiling  solemnity. 
Two  or  three  of  the  timid  and  flunky  type  broke  the 
compact  and  laughed  at  a  professorial  pleasantry,  but 
they  were  duly  impressed  that  should  they  do  so  again  it 
would  mean  an  interruption  of  their  good  health. 

"  Tim  "  was  slow  to  recognize  the  changed  order,  and 
could  not  comprehend  the  berserker  spirit ;  his  best  joke 
had  been  received  with  a  groan,  and  his  enlightenment 
began  when  one  of  the  leading  spirits  arose  to  recite,  and 
parodied  one  of  the  professor's  most  elaborated  and 
polished  periods  on  the  glory  of  the  Elizabethan  age ;  the 
division  broke  into  prolonged  and  hilarious  approval ! 
"  There,"  exclaimed  Tim,  "  you  have  spoiled  that,  and  I 
will  have  to  change  it ! "  But  such  truculence  could  not 
go  unpunished !  The  professor  had  it  in  for  him  and 
thought  his  time  had   come   when   he   placed    upon   the 


336  Memories  of  B 


rown 


blackboard  a  sentence  from  his  essay  as  follows:  "  Out- 
stripping Egyptian  Cleopatra  in  the  prodigality  of  her 
display,  Queen  Catherine  strewed  her  foot-mat  with 
pearls."  The  sentence  proved  a  puzzler  to  the  division ; 
various  criticisms  were  offered,  but  none  touched  the 
fault.  When  at  last  none  seemed  likely  to  detect  the 
blunder,  the  professor  exclaimed,  "  Why,  I  am  surprised 
that  not  one  of  you  does  not  see  that  it  is  a  comparison  of 
indelicate  suggestion  ;  the  word  '  outstripping  '  used  with 
reference  to  two  ladies."  "  Oh-oh-oh-ah-ah  "  groaned  the 
division,  whereupon  the  author  of  the  sentence  innocently 
remarked,  "  Professor,  I  suppose  the  writer  went  upon  the 
theory  that  '  to  the  pure  all  things  are  pure ! '  "  The  pro- 
fessor opened  his  mouth  to  reply,  but  the  second  division 
had  broken  into  pandemonium  ! 

As  everyone  knows,  the  class  of  '78  was  the  most  bril- 
liant and  victorious  that  ever  stirred  the  classic  shades  of 
old  Brown.  "  Zeke  "  w^as  at  the  zenith  of  his  white  fame 
and  imperial  rule.  "  Grif,"  the  sweet  songster  from  the 
old  Granite  State,  had  withdrawn  his  luminous  splendor 
from  '77  to  add  one  more  inimitable  glint  to  the  peerless 
glory  of  'j^.  He  had  been  visited  in  the  "witching  hour 
of  night "  by  some  friends,  who  burst  his  door  open 
and  deluged  him  in  bed  with  successive  pails  of  cold 
pump-water.  "  Griff  "  had  laid  his  excelsior  mattress  on 
the  tar-walk  in  the  rear  of  Hope  College  to  dry.  Just  at 
the  quiet-colored  edge  of  eve,  "  Possum,"  he  of  the  "seal- 
skin poll,"  carelessly  spilled  a  can  of  Standard  oil  on  the 
dried  mattress,  when  "  Ikie,"  the  "moon-faced  darling  of 
us  all,"  dropped  a  lighted  match  thereon.  Presto  !  Flame, 
leaping  to  the  very  stars  !  Up  went  the  windows  in  the 
rear  of  old  Hope  !  Out  went  such  a  cry  of  "  Fire  !  Fire  !" 
multitudinous  and  unanimous,  plural  and  vociferous,  as 
shattered  the  placidly  flowing  Seekonk  a  mile  away. 
Prex  stood  just  under  the  window  of  one  whose   voice 


Memories  of  Brown  337 

boomed  in  stately  thunder,  calling  on  all  the  pagan  divini- 
ties and  otherwise  to  witness  such  an  excellent  fire  !  His 
remarks  were  eloquent,  of  timbre  unexcelled  and  of  sur- 
passing carrying  quality ! 

The  next  morning,  a  shame-faced  and  trembling  com- 
pany met  Prex  in  the  ofifice  ;  some  stood  pale  and  awed 
before  the  terrible  aspect  of  Jovian  wrath. 

Prex.  "  Mr.  L.,  what  had  you  to  do  with  that  disgrace- 
ful disturbance  last  night  ?  " 

L.  "  I  stuck  my  head  out  of  the  window  and  yelled, 
sir." 

Prex.     "  Yelled,  did  you  ?  " 

L.  "  Yes,  sir;  lustily  !  "  (There  was  a  sign  of  the  mar- 
ble wrath  of  Jove  breaking  into  a  grim  smile.) 

Prex.  "  Didn't  you  know,  sir,  that  you  were  breaking 
the  laws  of  the  college  besides  disturbing  the  whole  neigh- 
borhood for  miles  around  ?  " 

L.  "  No,  sir  ;  I  just  stuck  my  head  out  and  yelled  to  ex- 
ercise my  voice !  " 

Prex.  "  Don't  let  this  occur  again,  gentlemen  ;  and,  Mr. 
L.,  the  next  time  you  feel  like  exercising  your  voice,  I 
would  advise  you  to  go  to  the  Seekonk,  sir  !  You  are  ex- 
cused." 

Charles  H.  Pendleton,  iSyS. 


John  Carter  Brown  Library 


Memories  of  Brow7i  339 


Marrying  Before  Graduation 


OUR  excellent  and  beloved  Dr.  Clarke  may  recall 
an  incident  in  the  mathematical-room  when  he 
put  a  problem  something  like  this  before  the 
freshmen  of  '78:  "How  many  inches  must  be 
worn  from  a  new  grindstone  before  it  is  half  worn  out  ?  " 
No  freshman  seemed  to  apprehend  what  was  required  to 
bring  the  answer.  One  remarked,  "  The  first  wear  is 
the  best."  All  laughed  and  the  professor  said,  "  If  your 
mathematics  proves  as  good  as  your  wit,  you  will  get  on." 
After  class  the  freshman  had  the  grace  to  apologize  to 
the  professor  and  to  tell  him  that  he  knew  of  no  rule  to 
work  that  problem  by.     He  was  indulgently  forgiven. 

In  Manning  Hall  one  morning  when  '78  assembled  to 
listen  to  junior  orations.  Professor  T.  Whiting  Bancroft  — 
of  pleasant  memory  —  listened  in  dumbfounded  astonish- 
ment to  the  oration  of  one  who  is  now  a  successful  phy- 
sician in  the  old  Bay  state,  while  with  the  utmost  solem- 
nity the  junior  recited  one  whole  chapter  of  Professor 
Bancroft's  classroom  lectures  on  "  Cardinal  Wolsey."  A 
visitor  would  not  have  thought  he  was  attending  a  chapel 
exercise  if  he  had  witnessed  the  scene  that  followed  the 
junior's  bow.  It  was  some  minutes  before  the  professor 
had  the  floor.  The  junior  seemed  not  to  have  produced 
much  solemnity  excepting  in  the  professor. 

I  was  older  than  most  of  the  boys,  and  decided  in  June, 
'75,  to  marry.  Dire  things  were  prophesied  if  I  did,  and 
the  registrar,  Mr.  Douglas,  was  questioned  in  the  matter 
of   college   laws.      No   law   to   prevent    being  found,    I 


340 


Memories  of  Brown 


launched  my  matrimonial  bark  upon  the  beckoning  sea, 
I  was  preaching  at  Oaklawn  and  took  up  my  residence 
there.  Alexander  also  married  before  the  autumn  term. 
When  he  appeared  as  a  sophomore,  he  thought  that  the 
authorities  had  played  a  joke  on  him  in  enacting  a  law  at 
the  June  meeting  after  my  marriage,  that  any  under- 
graduate who  should  marry  would  thereby  sever  his  con- 
nection with  the  college.  Alexander  had  a  bad  half  day. 
When  he  later  found  that  the  registrar  had  neglected  to 
post  the  law  until  the  autumn  opening,  he  laughed  at  the 
ex  post  facto  legislation,  and  went  on  with  his  studies. 
He  thought  the  joke  was  on  the  faculty.  Alexander  and 
I  both  graduated  with  an  A.  B.  in  1878. 

William  P.  Bartlclt,  1878. 


College  Servants,    1881 


Memories  of  Brown  34 1 


Devolution  of  the  Bonfire 


N  one  important  particular  bonfires  present  a 
direct  antithesis  to  poets,  for  bonfires  are 
always  made.  We  have,  of  course,  all  heard 
suggestions  of  spontaneous  combustion,  but 
they  invariably  emanated  from  the  brains  of 
students,  and  these  generally  not  the  most 
studious  of  the  class.  These  theories  never  received  the 
sanction  of  the  college  authorities. 

It  is  a  far  call  from  the  bonfire  of  old,  which,  whatever 
its  raison  d'etre,  was  not  without  a  certain  rude,  barbaric 
dignity,  as  well  as  a  spice  of  danger  to  its  originators,  to 
the  emasculated,  specially  permitted  fire  of  today.  The 
latter,  indeed,  is  only  a  travesty  on  the  original,  and  gives 
delight  to  none. 

As  it  was  our  privilege  to  see  the  bonfire  at  the  height 
of  its  glory,  when  proved  participation  spelled  expulsion, 
it  is  now  our  pleasure  to  trace  its  gradual  devolution,  and 
to  show  how,  at  one  time,  the  students,  at  another,  the 
authorities,  have  been  found  arrayed  upon  the  side  of 
law  and  order,  and  the  conservation  of  property. 

In  the  olden  time  bonfires  were  sporadic  and  broke  out 
when  some  special  occasion  imperatively  demanded  them, 
or  when  some  hilarious  spirits  could  no  longer  resist  the 
ebullitions  of  the  rude  primeval  instinct  within  them. 
They  were  characterized  by  a  wanton  destruction  of 
property  in  the  shape  of  fences,  gates,  building  materials 
from  houses  in  the  course  of  erection,  in  fact  anything 
combustible  within  reach.     They  were  accompanied  by  a 


342  Memories  of  Brown 

veritable  pandemonium  of  yells  and  were  participated  in 
by  the  entire  student-body  in  residence.  The  college 
authorities,  too,  took  an  active  part,  though  it  must  be 
confessed  that  their  efforts  were  generally  obstructive. 
More  than  once  the  old  volunteer  fire  department  turned 
out  with  their  hand-tubs  and  dragged  them  up  College 
Hill,  intent  on  extinguishing  a  supposed  residential  fire. 
While  they  hustled  about  scattering  the  bonfire  upon  one 
side,  the  boys  built  it  up  upon  the  other.  So  sharp  did 
the  conflict  become  on  some  occasions  that  it  is  a  miracle 
that  the  dormitories  escaped  a  wetting-down  at  the  hands 
of  the  fire-laddies. 

Building  operations  were  looked  upon  with  favor  by 
the  boys,  who  saw  in  them  not  merely  a  fertile  source  of 
materials  for  bonfires,  but  also  a  sure  supply  of  firewood 
for  the  stoves  with  which  each  room  was  formerly  warmed. 
Who  of  us  has  not  returned  from  supper  carrying  a  bundle 
of  laths  or  a  window-frame  destined  for  his  bodily  comfort  ? 
We  well  remember  the  occasion  when,  some  of  these  ma- 
terials proving  refractory,  their  adopted  owners  returned 
to  the  building  and  borrowed  a  saw  from  the  carpenter's 
kit  for  their  more  ready  demolition.  Pocket  money  was 
scarce,  it  was  necessary  to  be  warm  in  order  to  study,  and 
"  Necessity  knows  no  law." 

It  was  reserved  for  our  class,  the  class  of  '79,  to  evince 
the  first  signs  of  law-abiding  respect  for  property,  and,  sad 
to  relate,  our  efforts  were  not  appreciated  and  the  presi- 
dent unconsciously  took  his  stand  upon  the  side  of  dis- 
order. 

Early  in  January,  '76,  it  was  decided  that  it  was  incum- 
bent upon  us  to  have  a  bonfire  and  the  function  was  ar- 
ranged precisely  upon  the  lines  of  the  faculty-conducted 
bonfires  of  today.  Thus  early  in  their  career  did  the 
class  of  '79  show  the  stamp  of  progress.  A  committee 
was  appointed   to  purchase  tar-barrels  and   arrange   for 


Memories  of  Brow?i  343 

their  transfer  to  the  college  campus,  exactly  as  is  now 
done.  Billy  Ely,  to  whom  fell  the  honor  (?)  of  attending 
to  the  business,  bought  the  materials  and  engaged  a 
trusty  expressman.  It  was  arranged  that  Malcom,  another 
of  the  committee,  should  meet  the  teamster  at  a  certain 
time  and  place.  George's  devotion  to  his  studies  led  him 
to  overlook  the  appointment  and  a  different  expressman 
had  to  be  employed  at  the  eleventh  hour.  This  proved 
William's  undoing,  as  will  be  seen  anon. 

The  fire  came  off  according  to  schedule  and  was  parti- 
cipated in  by  the  president  and  Billy  Dug  as  well  as  the 
whole  student-body. 

The  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  the  president  hied 
him  to  the  old  depot,  sought  out  the  expressman  and,  for  a 
consideration,  induced  him  to  call  at  the  office  on  the  hill 
and  point  out  the  guilty  purveyor  of  inflammables.  So 
Billy  Ely  got  into  trouble  and  was  awarded  a  vacation  not 
down  in  the  catalogue  on  his  contumaciously  refusing  to 
reveal  the  names  of  all  those  concerned  with  him.  He 
was  also  reproached  somewhat  acrimoniously  with  having 
purloined  the  tar-barrels  from  a  contractor  on  Aborn 
street.  The  president  was  exceeding  the  speed  limit  just 
then  and  had  to  slow  down  when  William  proposed  a 
visit  to  Chambers  &  Calder's  store  to  settle  the  ques- 
tion. 

A  day  or  two  later  the  president  announced  in  chapel 
that  "unless  those  who  were  concerned  with  Mr.  Ely 
came  to  him  voluntarily  he  would  be  obliged  to  summon 
them,  in  which  case  Mr.  Ely's  sentence  might  be  changed 
to  expulsion."  Actuated  by  the  conscientious  regard  for 
the  good  of  others  which  ever  characterized  our  class, 
Malcom  and  Eddy  decided  to  go  to  the  office.  It  so  hap- 
pened that  their  fathers  were  known  and  held  in  respect 
by  the  president.  Hence  the  young  men  were  graciously 
received  and  asked  to  take  a  seat  and  inquiry  was  made 


344  Memories  of  Brown 

as  to  the  object  of  their  visit.  Confession  under  such  cir- 
cumstances became  a  painful  duty.  Unfortunately  the 
story  leaked  out  and  they  had  to  endure  the  gibes  of  their 
fellows.  Still  "  the  confessors  "  had  the  nicjis  conscia  recti 
to  sustain  them. 

In  the  fall  of  '76  bonfires  for  the  first  time  became  epi- 
demic and  it  was  all  due  to  the  president's  initiative. 
The  class  of  '80,  then  freshmen,  were  always  meek  and 
lowly,  and  fires,  but  for  the  president's  instigation,  would 
have  fallen  into  innocuous  desuetude. 

The  term  was  several  weeks  old  when  President  Rob- 
inson announced  in  chapel  that  "  there  would  be  no  bon- 
fires that  year  and  any  man  found  making  one  would  be 
expelled."  This  language  seemed  too  bold  and  arrogant 
to  some  of  his  hearers  and  it  was  decided  to  give  the 
freshmen  one  week  to  take  up  the  gauntlet,  failing  which 
the  sophomoric  dignity  would  so  far  unbend  as  to  permit 
of  its  being  lifted. 

The  freshmen  proved  unreliable.  It  was,  therefore,  re- 
solved by  the  committee  that  there  should  be  one  fire  a 
week  until  further  notice.  Even  in  this  instance,  though 
spurred  on  to  wrong-doing  by  the  president,  the  class 
showed  its  regard  for  the  rights  of  property  as  well  as  a 
budding  perception  of  the  necessity  of  safeguarding  the 
community  by  removing  dangerous  collections  of  inflam- 
mable material.  For  well-nigh  a  century  there  had  been 
accumulating  in  the  attic  of  Hope  College  a  mass  of  de- 
crepit and  worn-out  furniture,  packing  boxes  and  papers, 
which  was  a  menace  to  the  building.  It  was  decided  to 
utilize  these.  On  the  plea  of  footballs  upon  the  roof  the 
key  of  the  attic  was  kept  throughout  the  fall  in  the  room 
of  one  of  the  committee.  Without  ostentation  the  selected 
material  was  removed  to  the  room  of  the  committeman, 
anointed  with  kerosene  and  conveyed  to  the  campus 
quite  near  the  rear  door  of  the  middle  division  so  as  not 


Me/nories  of  Brown  345 

to  disturb  too  seriously  Wayland  Douglas,  the  assistant 
registrar,  and  the  rest  of  the  denizens  of  University  Hall. 
The  match  was  then  applied.  Thus  was  combined  a 
minimum  of  labor  with  a  maximum  of  safety. 

The  fires  came  off  very  auspiciously.  After  one  or  two 
weeks  the  president  inaugurated  the  salutary  custom  of 
having  two  of  the  "  slaves  "  on  watch  each  night,  thus  se- 
curing them  good  rest  on  the  alternate  days.  Anthony 
McCabe,  or  Antonius  Maccabeus  the  "  Last  of  the  Mac- 
cabees," as  Robert  Burbank  called  him,  and  Graham  kept 
one  watch.  This  was  a  very  convenient  arrangement. 
We  recall  one  beautiful  moonlight  night  when  certain 
hilarious  spirits  arrived  on  the  campus  at  about  i  A.  M. 
and  decided  to  have  athletic  sports.  The  three-legged 
race  was  about  to  be  started  when  Anthony  and  Graham 
appeared.  They  were  at  once  pounced  upon  and  posted 
upon  opposite  sides  of  the  course  as  umpires.  Wayland 
Douglas  arrived  a  few  moments  later  and  was  hailed  with 
acclamations  as  referee.  He  was  posted  conveniently  and 
the  sports  went  on. 

This,  however,  is  a  digression.  To  return  to  the  epi- 
demic. Each  week  produced  its  fire,  and  the  committee 
noted,  with  satisfaction,  the  steadily  diminishing  pile  of 
rubbish  in  the  attic.  Each  week,  too,  the  kerosene  spot 
on  the  carpet  of  the  committeeman  waxed  broader  and 
stronger,  and  an  unbroken  trail  extended  from  his  door 
to  the  campus.  "  Tute  "  Davis  at  that  time  roomed  in  the 
middle  division,  and  no  earthly  power  could,  under  ordi- 
nary conditions,  have  prevented  detection,  as  eyes  and 
olfactories  were  assaulted  each  time  he  trod  that  trail. 
Fortunately  for  us,  the  professor's  attention  was  at  that 
time  firmly  concentrated  on  his  approaching  nuptials  to 
the  exclusion  of  all  lesser  interests.  So,  with  an  eye 
single  unto  matrimony,  he  went  his  way,  oblivious  of  all 
about  him,  and  the  committee  labored  on  in  peace. 


346  Memories  of  Brown 

In  due  time  the  climax  came.  It  had  by  this  time  be- 
come prudent  to  locate  the  pyre  almost  upon  the  door- 
steps, and  at  once  retire  within  the  hall  after  applying  the 
match.  Though  laboring  for  the  common  good,  the  com- 
mittee did  not  court  publicity.  There  came  a  Friday 
night  when  an  old  "  sink,"  a  legless  lounge  and  certain 
packing-boxes  filled  with  papers  were  condemned  as  too 
inflammable  for  the  attic.  The  kerosene  inunction  was 
particularly  enthusiastic  and  wasteful.  Everything  was 
conveyed  to  the  concrete  walk  about  eight  feet  from  the 
door,  and  the  match  applied.  For  greater  privacy  it  was 
deemed  wise  to  bar  the  backdoor  of  each  division.  The 
building  was  in  darkness,  but  no  sooner  did  the  frames 
ascend  than  every  window  had  its  head  or  heads,  and 
from  each  emanated  a  mighty  voice.  Stillman  roomed 
in  University  Hall  but  he  was  the  possessor  of  a  brace  of 
horse-pistols  with  appropriate  ammunition  and  it  was  his 
pleasure  to  hunt  up  someone  who  would  borrow  and 
agree  to  use  them.  This  lent  an  additional  spice. 
Wayland  Douglas  and  the  slaves  soon  appeared,  and 
Kennedy,  the  policeman,  with  them.  They  were  greeted 
with  a  perfect  fusillade  of  coal  and  other  movables.  Slop- 
buckets  rained  their  contents  down  upon  them  and  the 
horse-pistols  barked  incessantly.  The  flames  mounted 
triumphantly.     Ye  Gods  !  that  luas  a  fire. 

The  committee  had  accomplished  its  self-appointed 
task.  It  had  demonstrated  that  "prohibition  does  not 
prohibit"  and  that  bonfires  do  not  necessarily  involve  the 
destruction  of  valuable  property.  The  members  rested 
from  their  labors  and  turned  their  attention  to  a  series  of 
cane-rushes  which  w'ere  just  then  inaugurated. 

Their  efforts  were  not  unrewarded,  for,  before  the  rushes 
were  through  with,  they  had  been  fittingly  recognized 
and  given  a  special  vacation  to  be  enjoyed  away  from  the 
college  campus.     The  story  of  these  happenings  is  told 


M 


emortes  o 


,fB. 


rown 


347 


elsewhere  by  my  friend  Marsh,  who  would  appear  to  have 
a  guilty  knowledge  of  the  matters  of  which  he  writes. 

Furthermore,  the  president  had  learned  a  lesson,  and 
the  devolution  of  the  bonfire  had  made  mighty  progress. 
Sporadic  fires,  according  to  the  old  regime,  have  occa- 
sionally occurred,  but  they  have  been  perfunctory  and  not 
accompanied  by  the  old-time  zest.  Gradually,  even  these 
have  died  out. 

It  is  not  known  that  the  corporation  have  ever  speci- 
fically voted  a  bonfire ;  but  it  is  an  established  fact  that 
when  the  occasion  seems  to  them  to  call  for  it,  the  presi- 
dent and  dean  hold  a  confab,  select  the  date  and  spot  for 
the  conflagration,  appoint  a  committee  of  quiet  and  trusty 
students,  furnish  them  with  materials,  notify  the  under- 
graduates to  be  ready  to  assemble,  and  the  farce  is  en- 
acted.    It  takes  a  shirt-tail  parade  to  make  it  go. 

O  Bonfire !  thy  glory  hath  departed.  Thou  art  be- 
come but  an  echo  and  a  memory  of  the  past. 

Walter  Lee  Ahinro,  iSyg. 


College  Servants,    1890 


348  Memories  of  Brown 


Dimanesque 


THE  following  anecdotes  of  Professor  Diman  are 
too  good  to  be  lost. 
The  class  of  '80  were  seated  in  the  south 
room  in  Rhode  Island  Hall.  Professor  Diman, 
as  his  custom  was,  sat  behind  the  desk,  revolving  a  pen- 
cil in  his  hand,  tapping  alternately  with  either  end,  while 
his  gaze  was  attentively  fixed  upon  the  farther  end  of 
Magee  street, 

Mr.  X,  being  called  upon  for  the  "  substance  of  the  pre- 
ceding lecture,"  rose  to  his  feet  with  his  head  inclined 
forward,  in  what  was  then  his  customary  round-shouldered 
attitude,  and  proceeded  very  glibly  for  one  or  two  min- 
utes, when  he  suddenly  came  to  a  dead  halt. 

Professor  Diman  continued  calmly  twiddling  the  pen- 
cil with  his  far-away  Magee-street  look. 

The  silence  became  oppressive  until  the  professor, 
without  changing  his  position  or  his  point  of  view,  bland- 
ly remarked,  "Will  one  of  the  gentlemen  on  either  side 
of  Mr.  X  kindly  turn  that  page  for  him.? " 

At  the  faculty  meeting  a  few  days  later.  Professor  Di- 
man inquired  whether  any  of  the  gentlemen  had  had  any 
particular  experiences  with  Mr.  X  of  the  class  of  '80. 

No  one  volunteering  anything,  he  was  called  upon  for 
an  explanation,  when  he  related  the  preceding  incident, 
adding  in  conclusion,  "  When  I  passed  from  the  room  at 
the  close  of  the  hour,  Mr.  X  was  without,  cursing  prodi- 
giously. 


Memories  of  Brown  349 

Professor  Diman  was  always  courteous  and  dignified, 
but  occasionally  incurred  the  criticism  of  the  students  for 
adhering  to  the  old-time  constitutional  right  of  a  college 
professor  to  pass  an  undergraduate  without  recognition, 
even  though  he  was  himself  saluted  with  proper  respect. 

One  spring  morning  in  '76  the  usual  group  of  students 
had  gathered  about  the  rear  steps  of  Manning  Hall,  await- 
ing the  chapel  bell,  when  Professor  Diman  w^as  seen  en- 
tering the  path  which  then  led  diagonally  from  the  cor- 
ner of  Brown  street,  across  wdiat  is  now  the  middle  cam- 
pus, to  Manning  Hall. 

One  of  the  seniors  called  attention  to  him  by  saying, 
"  There  comes  Jerry,  large  as  life  ;  wouldn't  recognize 
you  if  his  fortune  depended  on  it."  "  Bet  you  fifty  cents," 
said  one  of  his  classmates,  "  that  he  will  touch  his  hat  to 
me." 

The  bet  was  at  once  taken  and  the  senior  started  to- 
ward the  professor.  When  they  met  he  raised  his  hat 
in  an  embarassed  way  and,  clumsily  turning  out  in  the 
wrong  direction,  almost  collided  with  the  unconscious  pro- 
fessor, who,  with  an  annoyed  look,  turned  to  the  opposite 
side  only  to  find  the  student  once  more  plumping  against 
him. 

The  look  of  annoyance  gave  way  to  one  of  amusement 
and,  smilingly  raising  his  hat,  "  Jerry  "  passed  him  by  and 
repaired  to  the  chapel,  while  the  senior,  now  free  from 
embarassment,  returned  to  collect  his  half-dollar. 

Walter  Lee  Munro,  iSyg. 


350 


Memories  of  Brown 


Seventy-nine's  Page  of  History 


HE  class  of  1879  was  few  in  numbers,  grad- 
uating only  47  men,  but  it  possessed  a 
notable  class  spirit.  President  Faunce  re- 
marked, at  the  great  gathering  of  Brown 
alumni  at  Boston  in  March,  1908,  that 
nowadays  the  subject  of  bonfires  was  left 
to  the  students,  and  a  committee  had  the 
matter  in  charge  and  were  held  responsi- 
ble for  results.  It  was  so  in  the  days  (or  rather  nights) 
of  '79,  and  none  of  the  faculty  was  ever  heard  to  complain 
that  the  class  committee  did  not  perform  their  duties 
faithfully  and  industriously.  True,  the  personnel  of  the 
committee  was  not  then  known  to  the  faculty,  but  this 
was  due  to  the  modesty  which  distinguished  the  class. 
They  loved  to  perform  good  deeds  without  publicity,  con- 
scious that  virtue  was  its  own  reward.  So  in  the  matter 
of  cane  rushes.  They  did  not  seek  glory,  neither  did 
they  shrink  if  it  was  thrust  upon  them  ;  but  in  either  case, 
whatever  their  hands  found  to  do,  they  did  it  with  their 
might. 

In  their  sophomore  year  they  were  confronted  with  a 
class  of  freshmen  which  greatly  outnumbered  them.  The 
rivalry  between  the  classes  was  intense.  The  great  an- 
nual freshman-sophomore  contest,  that  of  football,  which 
was  nothing  but  a  prolonged  rush,  or  series  of  rushes,  was 
won  by  '79,  but  '80  won  the  baseball  game.  A  cane  rush 
between  the  freshmen  and  sophomores  was  then  an  es- 
tablished institution,  and  one  Saturday  evening,  late  in 


Memories  of  Brown  35 1 

the  fall  of  1S76,  the  class  of  "80  appeared  with  a  cane  (,)n 
the  back  campus,  stripped  for  the  fray.  As  but  few  of  the 
sophomores  were  on  hand  that  evening,  no  attempt  was 
made  to  deprive  the  youngsters  of  their  precious  stick, 
and  after  parading  the  campus  for  a  time  they  departed 
unmolested,  with  derisive  yells  and  groans  for  the  sopho- 
mores, and  triumphant  cheers  for  themselves.  They  had 
the  cane  sawed  into  small  transverse  sections,  and  ap- 
peared Monday  morning,  at  chapel,  wearing  these  as  pins, 
in  token  of  their  bloodless  victory.  This  sight  acted 
upon  the  sophomores  like  the  traditional  red  rag  upon 
the  inflamed  bull.  After  leaving  chapel  and  on  the  way 
to  recitations,  a  freshie  adorned  with  one  of  the  obnox- 
ious pins  was  seized  by  a  sophomore ;  reinforcements  ral- 
lied to  the  aid  of  each,  and  soon  practically  the  entire 
strength  of  both  classes  was  enlisted,  and  the  melee  be- 
came general.  By  all  the  gods  of  misrule,  that  was  a  bat- 
tle royal !  Clothing  was  ripped,  torn,  demolished.  Books 
and  other  implements  of  learning  strewed  the  scene  of 
combat,  and  blood  w^as  shed  freely  by  either  side  in  de- 
fense of  their  sacred  honors.  The  struggling  mass  moved 
betw'een  the  buildings  to  the  back  (now  middle)  campus 
and  across  it,  presenting  to  the  eyes  of  the  justly  exasper- 
ated faculty  their  young  men,  who  should  have  been  in 
their  several  recitation-rooms  listening  to  words  of  wis- 
dom and  displaying  their  own  learning  or  ignorance,  in 
a  squirming  pile  of  perhaps  the  size  of  a  haystack,  oblivi- 
ous to  everything  except  the  capture  or  retention  of  those 
symbolic  pins.  Some  members  of  the  faculty,  supported 
by  the  registrar,  William  Douglas,  known  to  the  student 
body  then  as  "  Billy  Dug,"  moved  rapidly  to  the  field  of 
carnage.  The  faculty  militant  entered  the  fray  with  zest 
and  energy.  Freshmen  and  sophomores  were  pulled 
from  the  heap  by  the  legs,  arms  or  head.  Many  fled, 
awed  by  the  sight  of  the  powers  that  were,  till  finally  only 


352  Memories  of  Brown 

two  were  left,  the  sophomore  who  opened  hostihties,  and 
under  him  the  freshman  who  invited  them,  breathless  and 
pinless. 

Of  course,  such  a  breach  of  college  decorum  as  this 
could  not  be  overlooked  by  President  Robinson,  and  five 
of  the  sophomores  were  suspended,  one  of  whom  was  al- 
most immediately  reinstated,  the  reason  for  the  latter  ac- 
tion not  being  stated  and  never  being  clearly  understood 
by  the  students.  None  of  the  freshmen  were  punished, 
but  the  four  suspended  sophomores  were  banished  from 
the  college  grounds  for  three  weeks.  One  resided  in  the 
city.  The  other  three  retired  to  a  well  and  not  favorably 
known  resort  on  Angell  street,  yclept  the  "  Beanery,"  the 
ostensible  raisou  d'etre  of  which  was  the  satisfaction  of 
the  undergraduate  appetite,  but,  not  being  of  much  use 
in  that  respect,  the  real  purposes  and  objects  of  its  pro- 
prietor can  only  be  conjectured.  They  did  not  pass  the 
period  of  their  exile  in  sinful  luxury.  By  a  combination 
of  their  resources  they  were  able  to  lease  a  room  in  the 
aforesaid  boarding  house  (and  that  not  the  bridal  cham- 
ber), having  among  its  appointments  one  bed  and  a  stove, 
and  were  permitted  to  furnish  firewood  or  do  without 
heat,  as  they  chose.  The  days  they  w^hiled  away  with 
cards  and  textbooks  and  other  light  reading,  and  in  the 
evenings  they  prowled  around  the  new  library  building, 
which  was  then  in  course  of  erection,  gathering  up  un- 
considered trifles  among  the  debris  suitable  for  fuel,  and 
toiling  painfully  down  the  hill  with  them.  Owing  to  the 
limited  sleeping  accommodations,  a  rule  was  adopted  that 
the  last  one  in  at  night  must  sleep  on  the  fioor,  which 
tended  to  promote  early  hours.  Needless  to  say,  the 
suspended  four  considered  themselves  no  more  nor  less 
guilty  than  the  other  participants,  and  their  spirits  were 
light,  for  were  they  not  suffering  martyrdom  in  a  holy 
cause } 


Me/norics  of  Brow?i  353 

In  the  meantime  the  unsuspended  portion  of  the  class 
of  '79  ^leld  an  indignation  meeting,  the  general  sentiment 
of  which  was  that  they  were  as  guilty  as  those  who  had 
been  selected  for  punishment,  and  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  call  upon  the  president.  The  committee  ac 
cordingly  called  and  informed  the  president  that  the  de- 
sire of  the  class  was  that  the  suspended  members  be  re- 
instated, or  the  class  be  suspended  as  a  body.  To  this 
the  president  responded  grimly  that  any  who  felt  guilty 
might  go,  but  in  that  case  they  might  take  one  last,  fond 
farewell  of  college  life  at  Brown,  as  they  would  not  be  al- 
lowed to  return.  Another  meeting  was  held  to  listen  to 
the  report  of  the  committee,  which  was  considered  most 
unsatisfactory,  and  it  was  unanimously  decided  not  to  ac- 
cept the  president's  proposition.  The  committee  was  in- 
structed to  return  to  the  president  and  inform  him  that 
unless  the  suspended  men  were  reinstated  the  remainder 
of  the  class  would  suspend  themselves ;  in  other  words, 
would  bolt.  To  this  the  president  replied  that  in  that 
case  those  already  suspended,  as  well  as  the  bolters,  would 
be  expelled.  This  last  threat  overawed  the  class,  and 
after  some  more  meeting  and  resolving  they  gradually 
subsided. 

A  college  disturbance  of  this  sort,  accompanied  by  such 
serious  disagreement  between  students  and  president,  is 
of  rare  occurrence  at  Brown,  and,  I  believe,  has  been  un- 
known since  that  time.  It  would,  perhaps,  hardly  be 
worth  recalling  at  this  late  day  if  it  were  not  for  the  noto- 
riety which  the  affair  attained  at  the  time,  and  for  the 
fact  that  the  sophomore  class,  or  some  member  or  mem- 
bers of  it,  wrote  and  caused  to  be  printed  and  circulated 
a  pamphlet  setting  forth  their  side  of  the  case,  entitled, 
"A  Page  of  History,  Being  a  True  and  Unvarnished 
Statement  of  Facts  Which  We  Commend  to  the  Careful 
Attention  of  All."     The  disturbances  in  the  first  place. 


354  Memories  of  Brown 

and  then  the  phamphlet,  were  widely  commented  upon  in 
Eastern  papers,  either  editorially  or  in  their  news  columns, 
the  New  York  Tribiinc  in  particular  publishing  an  edito- 
rial of  about  a  column  in  length  on  the  pamphlet  entitled, 
"Student  and  President,"  and  the  vociferations  of  the 
sophomores  were  even  wafted  across  the  Atlantic  and  oc- 
casioned editorial  comment  in  the  London  News.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  these  editorials  were  carefully  trans- 
mitted to  the  president.  The  pamphlet  purported  to  be 
a  judicial  statement  of  facts  with  impartial  comment 
thereon,  but  in  reality  it  was  a  partisan  document,  nar- 
rating the  occurrences  from  the  sophomoric  standpoint, 
and  bearing  down  heavily  upon  the  president,  who  was 
charged  with  favoritism,  intimidation,  tyranny  and  a  care- 
less handling  of  the  truth.  The  pamphlet  was  issued 
anonymously,  and  the  author  or  authors  have  never  to 
this  day  come  forward  to  claim  the  credit  of  their  per- 
formance. It  was  a  crude  and  jejune  composition,  but 
still  of  some  interest  as  a  typical  sophomoric  production, 
and  as  showing  the  sophomoric  literary  style  and  reason- 
ing processes.  As  such  it  reflected  little  credit  upon  the 
lamented  Professor  Bancroft,  the  well-known  professor  of 
rhetoric  at  the  time,  but  probably  the  sophomores  had 
not  then  had  the  benefit  of  his  instruction  for  a  suf^cient 
period  to  enable  them  to  grasp  the  principles  of  a  lucid, 
polished,  logical  and  convincing  narrative  and  argumen- 
tative style.  It  was  evidently  written  while  the  author 
was  smarting  under  a  burning  sense  of  injustice,  and  is, 
perhaps,  about  the  sort  of  document  which  the  Russian 
Nihilists  are  writing  nowadays  anent  the  Czar  and  his 
government,  if  one  of  the  latter  could  be  translated  into 
sophomoric  English.  It  closed  with  an  appeal  to  the 
"  corporation  and  board  of  trustees  "  to  investigate  the 
president's  conduct,  and  intimated  that  "  if  the  dignitaries 
to  whom  these  last  words  are  addressed  should  think  best 


Memories  of  Brown  355 

to  remove  the  president  to  other  fields  of  labor,  we  can 
assure  them  that  none  of  the  students  will  pine  away 
through  grief  for  the  absent  one,  and  that  their  mourning 
for  the  departed  will  in  no  wise  interfere  with  their 
studies." 

Strange  to  say,  the  "dignitaries"  remained  unmoved 
by  this  appeal,  and,  if  they  investigated,  such  fact  was  not 
made  public-  Certainly  the  president  was  not  removed. 
If  he  quailed  at  this  onslaught,  no  outward  signs  of  it 
were  visible,  any  more  than  when  he  was  confronted  with 
the  threatened  class  bolt.  For  a  man  exposed  to  obloquy 
as  being  guilty  of  the  various  kinds  of  malfeasance  men- 
tioned in  the  pamphlet,  he  preserved  a  singularly  calm 
and  unrufified  exterior.  Either  he  was  so  hardened  as  to 
be  impervious  to  shame  and  remorse,  or  else  he  was  actu- 
ally so  benighted  as  to  imagine  that  he  was  justified  in 
the  measures  he  took  to  preserve  the  peace  and  discipline 
of  the  student-body  under  his  jurisdiction.  But  if  he 
really  was  deluded  to  that  extent,  it  was  not  the  fault  of 
the  sophomores.  No  one  can  say  that  they  failed  to  call 
his  attention  to  the  enormity  of  his  conduct. 

Looking  back  now  at  these  occurrences,  through  the 
perspective  of  more  than  thirty  years,  it  occurs  to  the 
writer  that  possibly  something  might  be  said  in  behalf  of 
the  president  and  his  disciplinary  measures  which  he 
never  troubled  himself  to  say.  For  he  made  no  defence, 
or  even  answer,  to  the  indictment  of  the  sophomores. 

Edward  S.  Marsh,  iSjg. 


356  Memories  of  Brown 


Reminiscences  by  President  Faunce 


THE  greatest  excitements  in  college  life  —  as 
often  outside  of  college— are  usually  over  the 
smallest  issues.  The  greatest  crime  of  which  a 
student  could  be  guilty  in  my  undergraduate 
days  was  the  wholly  fictitious  crime  of  building  a  bonfire 
on  the  campus ;  and  the  supreme  demonstration  of  the 
power  and  majesty  of  the  administration  was  to  succeed  in 
putting  out  the  aforesaid  bonfire.  To  prepare  that  bonfire 
undiscovered  in  the  darkness  required  more  ingenuity 
and  statesmanship  than  any  course  in  the  curriculum,  and 
to  squelch  it  demanded  all  the  resources  of  Douglas,  the 
steward,  and  all  the  agility  of  the  swift-footed  President 
Robinson. 

Curiously  enough,  our  awful  reverence  for  Dr.  Robin- 
son was  not  lessened  by  his  frequent  sprinting  across  the 
campus  in  the  evening  to  catch  unwary  offenders.  There 
was  something  majestic,  even  Olympian,  in  the  long 
stride  and  flying  silvery  hair,  when  seen  in  the  moonlight, 
and  in  his  tight  grasp  on  a  sophomore's  coat  collar  there 
was  the  relentless  vigor  of  sixty  years  of  Calvinism.  I  re- 
call especially  one  evening,  when  freshmen  and  sopho- 
mores were  struggling  over  a  cane  in  front  of  Hope  Col- 
lege on  a  January  night.  It  was  a  silent  battle,  save  for 
the  crackling  and  grinding  of  the  crust  of  the  snow. 
Suddenly  there  was  a  warning  sound  from  a  window. 
Then  we  caught  sight  of  a  silk  hat  and  the  long  coat-tails 
moving  through  the  shadow  of  Manning  Hall.  The  dim 
figure  dashed  out  into  the  moonlight  and  gripped  our  col- 


Memories  of  Brown  357 

lars.  "  Call  at  my  office  tomorrow  morning!  "  Burdctte — 
since  then  a  devoted  missionary  in  Assam — was  sus- 
pended. Goodspeed — later  a  distinguished  professor  in 
the  University  of  Chicago — was  cross-examined  and 
barely  cleared.  A  dozen  others  were  rusticated  for  two 
weeks.  Would  that  all  crimes  were  equally  harmless, 
and  all  penalties  as  pleasant  to  remember ! 

The  most  serious  midnight  occurrence  I   recollect  was 

the  blowing  up  of  S Hall  by  the  explosion  of  a  bomb. 

To  the  initiated,  no  description  of  the  architecture  and 
appearance  of  that  venerable  structure  is  needed ;  and  to 
the  uninitiated,  no  description  would  be  held  credible. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  ancient  relic  was  wrecked  and 
all  good  men  approved  the  deed.  Vandalism  is  always  to 
be  rebuked ;  but  in  that  case  it  was  vandalism  to  preserve 
and  righteousness  to  destroy. 

My  college  chum  for  two  years  was  Richmond,  the 
famous  left-handed  pitcher.  It  had  been  rumored  that  he 
could  pitch  a  curved  ball  so  that  if  it  were  sent  between 
upright  posts  it  would  go  to  the  right  of  the  first  post,  to 
the  left  of  the  second,  and  again  to  the  right  of  the  third. 
No  one  believed  that  possible  until  Richmond  gave  a 
demonstration,  on  what  is  now  Lincoln  Field,  and  all 
doubt  vanished.  Many  a  night  after  a  game  I  rubbed  the 
champion's  mighty  biceps  with  witch  hazel  and  prepared 
him  for  victory  another  day.  In  living  at  12  Hope  Col- 
lege it  was  his  part  to  bring  up  the  water  from  the  old 
pump  and  mine  to  tend  and  mend  the  fire  in  the  stove. 
Our  coal  was  kept  in  one  closet  and  our  clothes  in  the 
other.  Frequently  the  coal  and  the  clothes  got  into  the 
same  bin.  After  rattling  down  the  stove  in  the  morning 
I  carefully  carried  out  the  red-hot  coals  and  placed  them 
on  the  floor  in  the  corner  of  the  hall.  Dangerous  .f*  Not 
at  all ;  Hope  College  never  had  burned  down  and  we  be- 
lieved it  never  could. 


358 


Mi 


emories  o, 


B 


row?t 


Professor  Greene  we  loved,  and,  if  we  did  not  master 
astronomy  in  his  classroom,  we  learned  to  appreciate  the 
broad  views  and  delightful  whimsicality  of  a  man  who 


President  William  H.  P.  Faunce,  U 


taught  all  subjects  equally  well,  and  occupied,  as  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes  used  to  say,  "  not  a  chair  but  a  whole 
settee."     Professor   Diman   knocked   the  halos   off   the 


Memories  of  Brow?i  359 

saints,  and  challenged  conventional  opinion;  but  with 
such  wealth  of  knowledge,  such  easy  mastery  of  facts,  and 
such  urbane  and  lofty  manner  as  to  leave  us  all  in  con- 
stant admiration.  For  sheer  enjoyment,  however,  noth- 
ing that  came  to  me  in  college  was  equal  to  the  class- 
room of  Professor  John  L.  Lincoln.  Perched  on  a  lofty 
chair  behind  a  big  desk  in  dingy  23  University  Hall,  he 
made  the  old  Romans  walk  and  talk  and  joke  before  us. 
I  worked  with  him  for  nearly  four  years,  with  ever-in- 
creasing delight.  I  learned  more  English  from  him  than 
from  any  English  teacher  I  ever  had.  How  he  beamed 
and  glowed  over  a  happy  translation !  With  what  con- 
tagious gladness  he  expounded  some  callida  junctura  in 
Tacitus !  How  he  radiated  his  own  joy  in  the  Ars  Poeti- 
ca  !  How  he  exploded  over  some  venerable  joke  in  Ter- 
ence, as  if  it  w^ere  the  latest  cartoon  in  Punch  !  The 
Latin  a  dead  language  .^^  No  one  ever  said  that  who  sat 
under  "Johnny  Link  "  in  23  University  Hall. 

The  only  'varsity  organization  (as  we  should  say  today) 
that  I  had  part  in  was  the  glee  club.  Pretty  poor  music 
it  seems,  as  I  glance  over  the  old  scores  now.  But  it 
pleased  our  indulgent  audiences,  it  strengthened  our  ab- 
dominal breathing,  and  it  carried  the  name  and  fame  of 
the  college  from  Woonsocket  to  New  Bedford.  To  hear 
W.  F.  Thomas  sing  his  Karen  songs — or  rather  see  him — 
until  the  veins  stood  out  like  w4iipcord  on  brow  and 
neck  was  worth  the  price  of  admission.  "Art"  Howe's 
rich  voice  was  famous,  though  it  did  finally  quaver  and 
break  when  in  the  last  chapel  service  he  sang  the  solo  in 
Alma  Mater.  And  when  G.  F.  Weston  struck  his  manly 
pose  and  sang,  "  There  Was  a  Miller  Good  and  True  Be- 
side the  River  Dee,"  a  swaft  and  vociferous  encore  was 
sure  to  follow.  May  the  men  in  that  old  crowd  keep  on 
singing  through  all  the  darkening  and  brightening  years  ! 

William  H.  P.  Fauiice,  1880. 


360  Memories  of  B 


rown 


The   Romance   Department   Under 

Gates 


IN  the  old  days,  when  modern  languages  were  just 
being  introduced  into  New  England  colleges,  there 
was  a  French  instructor  at  Brown  by  the  name  of 
Gates,  whose  life  was  not  a  happy  one.  His  under- 
standing of  English  was  equal  to  the  students'  under- 
standing of  French,  and  the  misunderstandings  of  both 
were  plentiful.  Usually  the  students  did  their  only  study- 
ing during  the  calling  of  the  roll  in  the  classroom.  As 
the  roll  was  called,  each  man  was  supposed  to  respond 
"  Ici."  This  response  was  easily  corrupted  into  "  easy," 
and  as  the  word  was  shouted  from  all  parts  of  the  room, 
the  indignation  of  the  instructor  became  boundless. 
Finally  he  threatened  a  hundred  demerits  to  any  man  who 
made  the  "easy"  response.  Charles  Seaver  Scott,  vale- 
dictorian of  '']'],  and  a  man  faultlessly  correct  in  demean- 
or, was  in  the  class  one  morning  wholly  absorbed  in 
learning  his  lesson  during  the  calling  of  the  roll.  Finally 
Instructor  Gates  called  out  "  Scott,"  and  the  response 
quickly  came,  "  Easy  ! "  "I  gif  you  one  hundred  demerits, 
Mr.  Scott,"  thundered  the  instructor.  "What  for?' 
cried  the  astonished  Scott.  "  I  will  see  you  after  class," 
responded  Mr.  Gates.  Mutual  explanations  followed, 
and  the  removal  of  the  demerits  proved  as  "  easy  "  as  their 
acquirement.  Such  was  the  Romance  department  in 
"  other  days  at  Brown." 

VVilliani  H.  P.  Faunce,  1880. 


M. 


em  ones  Oi 


B 


rown 


361 


Beating  Harvard  and  Yale  in 
Seventy-nine 


EFORE  and  even  in  my  time  the 
lower  campus  was  unexplored  save 
by  drivers  of  dump-carts.  I  cannot 
remember  that  I  ever  stepped  be- 
yond the  middle  campus  till  Burdette 
of  '80,  in  our  senior  year,  established 
a  ground  for  pitching  quoits  just  east 
of  Chemistry  Hall.  We  played  ball 
on  the  middle  campus,  batting  south 
from  a  point  midway  between  Chem- 
istry Hall  and  the  chapel.  Our 
games  were  played  either  on  the  old 
Adelaide  avenue  grounds  or  on  the 
Messer  street  grounds. 

Even  such  advantages  were  good  when  compared  with 
the  provisions  made  for  gymnasium  work.  I  don't 
know  how  to  describe  our  gymnasium.  It  was  a  vaga- 
bond gymnasium  to  start  with,  claiming  the  same 
sheltering  roof  (it  was  always  located  next  the  roof)  only 
till  rent  was  due,  then  gathering  its  belongings  into  a 
moving  wagon  and  "  moving  on."  The  gymnasium  was 
ownerless  —  the  students  had  bought  a  good  part  of  the 
apparatus  ;  the  corporation  were  supposed  to  be  the  pow- 
er that  controlled,  and  it  bore  the  name  of  the  man  who 
cared  for  it.  We  had  to  work  to  keep  warm  and  we  had 
good  ventilation — a  surplus,  in  fact.     Still  for  a  couple  of 


OQ 


Memories  of  Brow?i  363 

years  the  winter's  gymnasium  work  was  followed  in  the 
spring  by  such  creditable  victories  on  the  ball-field  as  to 
warrant  di  propter  hoc  conclusion. 

The  secret  of  our  success,  though,  in  '78  and  '79  was 
that  we  had  good  clubs  in  the  city  with  which  to  play 
practice  games.  General  Dennis  organized  the  Rhode 
Islands  on  the  old  Adelaide  avenue  ground  in  '75  or  '76, 
and  with  his  club  the  university  played  many  games. 
And  in  case  of  accident  to  any  of  his  players  he  filled  his 
nine  from  our  nine.  So  for  several  years  the  university 
men  had  good  training.  Later  the  League  Club  was  or- 
ganized on  the  Messer-street  ground  and  with  that  fa- 
mous team  we  played. 

In  the  years  '76  to  '78  some  unusually  good  players 
came  in  from  the  Friends'  School  and  from  other  places, 
so  that  in  '78  our  university  nine  made  a  very  good  show- 
ing in  the  college  games  and  in  '79  we  won  the  champion- 
ship. 

That  year  we  had  an  infield  that  was  equal  to  any  in- 
field that  any  college  had  had  for  ten  years.  It  rivaled 
Harvard's  famous  infield  of  Wright,  Latham,  Leeds  and 
Thayer.  We  had  then  Meader,  Hovey,  Dilts  and  Ladd. 
Later,  Meader  went  into  right-field  and  White  played  ist. 
The  outfield  was  Rose,  Green  and  Waterman.  There 
was  one  play  that  Meader  used  to  make,  i.  e.,  to  go  far  for 
a  ground  ball  and  field  it  to  the  pitcher,  covering  first ; 
that  he  made  more  times  in  a  few  college  games  than  I 
saw  it  made  in  a  hundred  professional  games. 

It  was  this  nine  with  Winslow  and  myself  catching  and 
pitching  that  repaid  Harvard  for  the  many  defeats  we 
had  suffered  at  her  hands.  In  our  first  game  with  Har- 
vard, I  think  the  first  game  of  the  season,  we  beat  them 
so  badly  that  for  the  next  game  they  secured  Ernst  and 
Tyng — a  battery  that  had  played  Harvard  games  for  six 
or  seven  years,  and  Wright,  their  ancient  first  baseman 


364 


Memories  of  Brown 


We  were  too  much  for  them,  however,  in  every  way. 
We  batted  harder  and  stole  bases  on  Tyng  in  a  way  that 
surprised  him.  We  won  the  game  and  then  the  cry  was 
"  If  we  can  only  get  a  game  from  Yale."  Yale  had  al- 
ready won  a  game  from  us,  2-0.     We  lost  the  game  on  a 


University  Baseball  Team,  1879 
Intercollegiate  Champions 


single  wild  throw  by  myself.  This  final  game  with  Yale 
that  gave  possession  of  the  championship  was  the  most 
exciting  game  I  ever  saw.  When  Yale  went  to  bat  in 
the  ninth  inning,  the  scote  stood  3-2  against  them.  By 
the  time  two  men  were  out  they  had  the  bases  full.     The 


M, 


emorics  o. 


B 


rown 


365 


game  literally  turned  on  one  ball  pitched,  for  the  next 
batter  waited  till  he  had  two  strikes  and  eight  balls.  The 
grandstand  was  as  still  as  death.  Numbers  of  fellows 
had  gone  behind  the  grandstand  unable  to  watch  the 
game.  When  the  last  ball  was  struck  at  and  caught  by 
the  catcher — well — I  can't  tell  you  my  feelings.  I  re- 
member having  Professor  Lincoln  shake  my  hand,  and 
wondering  if  the  other  fellows  found  it  as  uncomfortable 
to  be  hoisted  up  on  shoulders  as  I  did. 

J.  Lee  Richmo7id,  1880. 


The  Class  of  1881  — Twenty-five  Years  after 


366  Memories  of  Brown 


Campus  Events  in  the  Eighties 


THE  front  campus  with  the  exception  of  Slater 
Hah,  the  Carrie  Tower,  the  memorial  gate  and 
the  class  fence  is  the  same  as  it  was  a  genera- 
tion ago.  Previous  to  1880  the  natural  scenery 
of  the  middle  campus,  consisting  of  two  rows  of  great  elm 
trees  on  the  west  side,  corresponding  to  those  on  the  east 
side,  made  the  view  from  Waterman  to  George  streets 
much  more  beautiful  than  it  is  at  the  present  time.  At 
the  completion  of  Sayles  Memorial  Hall,  in  the  spring  of 
1880,  it  was  discovered  that  the  basement  was  too  low  for 
the  campus,  and  that  a  portion  of  the  north  end  of  the 
campus  would  have  to  be  removed,  beginning  on  a  line 
with  Waterman  street,  taking  off  about  five  feet  and  end- 
ing with  the  grade  of  George  street,  necessitating  the  ad- 
dition of  several  granite  steps  to  Hope  College  and  Man- 
ning Hall  and  twelve  freestone  steps  to  University  Hall. 
This  work  resulted  in  the  removal  of  about  twenty-four 
of  the  large  elms  from  the  middle  campus.  The  destruc- 
tion of  these  noble  and  stately  trees  was  very  much  de- 
plored, and  has  greatly  diminished  the  beauty  of  the  mid- 
dle campus. 

It  will  be  remembered  by  many  that  Lincoln  Field  at 
this  time  was  nothing  more  than  a  swamp,  partly  covered 
by  water,  inhabited  by  a  numerous  colony  of  musical 
bull-frogs.  This  swamp,  which  was  about  ten  feet  below 
the  grade  of  Thayer  street,  was  bordered  with  a  tropical 
growth  of  shrubbery  and  tall  grass.  In  the  spring  of  1880 
Professor  Greene  undertook  to  improve  maftters.     With 


Memories  of  Brown  367 

a  force  of  men  and  teams  he  removed  tlie  unnecessary 
trees  and  filled  up  the  swamp.  His  enthusiasm  for  this 
work  was  contagious,  and  the  college  community  began 
to  feel  that  a  ball-field  near  the  college  was  a  necessity. 
To  this  work  he  devoted  much  of  his  time  and  money, 
and  frequently  after  dismissing  his  class  he  would  be  seen 
with  his  coat  laid  aside,  joining  in  the  work  side  by  side 
with  the  laborers.  As  a  result  of  his  self-sacrificing  effort 
a  ball-field  was  provided  that  was  appreciated  by  the  stu- 
dents and  their  friends  for  many  years. 

At  that  time  athletics  did  not  receive  as  much  financial 
support  as  now.  Previous  to  the  days  of  Lincoln  Field 
the  baseball  contests  took  place  in  the  Elmw^ood  district, 
upon  the  Adelaide  avenue  grounds.  Professor  Greene's 
interest  in  college  sports  was  such  that  whenever  possible 
he  was  present  at  these  games,  always  riding  in  the  same 
horse-car  w'ith  the  ball  players,  and  regularly  when  the 
collector  came  to  collect  the  fares  he  would  quickly  take 
from  his  pocket  a  very  much  worn  pocketbook  and  pay 
for  the  entire  party.  Contrary  to  general  belief,  football 
in  those  days  was  played  with  a  considerable  degree  of 
science  and  skill,  although  the  entire  class  to  a  man  was 
engaged  in  the  same  game.  Whole  classes  were  pitted 
against  one  another,  being  delegated  to  the  advance  line, 
the  middle  line  and  the  rear  line,  sixty  to  seventy-five 
men  upon  each  side,  extending  the  entire  width  of  Dexter 
Training  Ground,  where  the  class  contests  were  usually 
held.  It  was  a  sight  long  to  be  remembered  when  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men  were  engaged  in  a  great  football 
contest,  each  one  earnestly  struggling  for  the  honor  of 
his  class. 

The  Sayles  Hall  Lockup 
There  was  given  in  Sayles  Hall  in  1886  an  interesting 


368  Memories  of  Brown 

stereopticon  lecture,  and  a  large  audience  was  in  attend- 
ance, many  of  the  best  families  in  the  city  being  repre- 
sented. Not  at  all  disconcerted  by  the  character  of  the 
audience  or  the  extent  of  the  consequence  of  the  mischief, 
some  of  the  students  decided  to  fasten  the  doors  of  the 
building  and  hold  the  people  prisoners.  Taking  advan- 
tage of  that  part  of  the  lecture  when  the  room  was  dark- 
ened, the  students  closed  the  large  entrance  doors.  The 
next  thing  to  do  was  to  fasten  them,  and  this  was  effec- 
tively accomplished  by  passing  an  iron  chain  (which  had 
been  secured  from  the  old  pump  at  Hope  College)  two  or 
three  times  through  the  bronze  rings  in  the  doors,  and 
securing  it  by  means  of  a  large  padlock.  The  students 
then  assembled  in  a  body  to  watch  the  result  of  their 
work. 

When  the  audience  attempted  to  leave  the  building 
they  soon  found  that  they  were  locked  in,  and  as  there 
was  no  other  exit  a  great  commotion  arose.  The  only 
escape  possible  was  down  through  the  basement,  and  as 
this  was  a  narrow  and  obscure  passage,  not  being  de- 
signed for  an  exit,  very  few  took  advantage  of  it.  Al- 
though many  schemes  for  escape  were  proposed  the  great- 
er part  of  the  audience  good-naturedly  decided  to  wait  un- 
til the  doors  were  opened. 

In  the  meantime  there  was  much  noise  upon  the  out- 
side. The  servant  in  charge,  as  soon  as  he  found  out 
what  the  trouble  was,  became  very  much  upset  because  a 
mischief  so  serious  had  been  carried  out  while  he  was 
absent,  and  quickly  went  to  inform  the  steward,  who  at 
once  hastened  to  the  scene  of  the  disturbance.  Upon  his 
arrival  he  was  greeted  with  rousing  cheers  by  the  stu- 
dents. The  steward  decided  that  the  only  means  of  open- 
ing the  doors  was  to  cut  away  the  chains,  and  as  soon  as 
a  saw  could  be  obtained  he  set  to  work  with  a  will,  while 
each  stroke  was  loudly  cheered  by  the  mischief-makers. 


Memories  of  Brown  369 

At  last  the  saw  severed  the  chain,  and  as  the  doors  swung 
open  the  students  sent  up  a  deafening  shout  and  cheered 
lustily  at  the  audience  as  they  poured  out  of  the  building 
after  their  half-hour  of  imprisonment. 

In  honor  of  this  episode  the  following  poem  appeared 
in  the  Brunonian  of  May  i,  1886: 


The  picture  trembled  on  the  screen  ; 
The  speaker  bowed  and  closed  the  scene  ; 
The  audience  rose  and  turned  to  go. 
But,  see  !     What  is  it  moves  them  so  ? 
With  locks  in  chains  securely  sealed 
The  oaken  doors  refused  to  yield. 


The  worthy  steward  looked  around, 

And  soon  an  iron  bar  he  found. 

With  this  he  twisted  up  the  chain  ; 

He  strove  and  pulled  with  might  and  main, 

While  by  him  stood  a  henchman  strong. 

Whose  words  of  wisdom  cheered  him  on. 


Upon  the  campus  round  the  door. 
The  boys  were  howling  more  and  more, 
"  Now  give  three  cheers  for  Mother  Brown, 
It  looks  as  though  she'd  caged  the  town. 
Rouse  the  echoes  all  you  will. 
We've  got  the  run  of  College  Hill." 

Within,  the  people  talked  and  laughed 
And  wondered  who  the  wretch  so  daft 
Had  dared  to  put  them  in  this  plight. 
And  keep  them  out  so  late  at  night. 
Said  one  incisive,  ancient  dame, 
"  Boys  will  be  boys  ;  they're  all  the  same." 


370  Memories  of  Brown 

The  wistful  maiden  turned  her  face 
So  full  of  winsomeness  and  grace 
Upon  the  fellow  by  her  side, 
Who  looked  in  turn  and  then  replied 
In  blessings  on  the  fastened  door 
That  gave  him  fifteen  minutes  more. 


Without  was  laughter  long  and  loud 
Among  the  interested  crowd, 
Who  bade  the  steward  twist  his  lever 
"  Forever — never — Never — forever." 
But  now  with  other  means  in  play. 
He  quickly  sawed  the  chains   away. 

The  victor  opened  wide  the  door, 
And  raised  aloft  the  saw  he  bore. 
That  was  the  "  Open  sesame  " 
Which  made  a  way  for  liberty. 
"  'Twas  greeted  with  a  wild  delight. 
That  made  a  bedlam  of  the  night." 


The  Hope  College  Cow 

A  student  had  in  his  possession  an  old  worn-out 
lounge,  stuffed  with  excelsior,  which  he  decided  could 
serve  no  better  purpose  than  that  of  creating  a  little  ex- 
citement. Accordingly  he  saturated  it  with  kerosene  oil, 
which  was  obtained  at  Bradley's  little  store  on  Benevo- 
lent street.  While  the  student  was  in  the  act  of  applying 
the  match,  he  heard  footsteps  coming  hurriedly  toward 
him,  and,  thinking  that  it  was  one  of  the  faculty,  he 
started  to  run,  but  in  his  haste  stumbled  over  a  cow 
which  belonged  to  Governor  Taft  and  was  lying  on 
the    grass.      Believing   that   his  identity  was  discovered 


Memories  of  Brown  371 

and  the  bonfire  a  failure,  he  was  greatly  incensed  against 
the  cow,  and  lost  no  time  in  informing  his  fellow-students 
of  his  misfortune.  Some  time  later  groups  of  students 
gathered  to  discuss  the  matter,  for  the  presence  of  a 
cow  on  the  campus  gave  the  college  too  much  the 
appearance  of  a  dairy  to  suit  the  refined  tastes  of  many 
of  the  students.  They  had  felt  for  some  time  that  they 
had  a  real  grievance,  and  the  incident  narrated  proved 
the  veritable  last  straw.  Accordingly  a  large  delegation 
of  students  from  each  class  assembled  in  the  evening  with 
a  view  to  reforming  matters.  A  rope  was  secured,  and, 
throwing  it  around  the  cow,  which  was  then  feeding  near 
the  laboratory,  they  formed  a  procession  and  proceeded 
to  the  middle  division  of  Hope  College.  On  arriving  at 
the  door  the  rope  was  adjusted  around  the  cow  in  such 
a  way  as  to  allow  fifteen  or  more  students  to  climb  the 
stairs,  pulling  on  the  rope,  while  the  remainder  pushed 
behind,  and  by  this  process  the  cow  was  successfully 
landed  on  the  third  floor.  The  animal  was  then  forced 
to  the  open  window,  with  her  head  protruding ;  one  end 
of  the  rope  was  fastened  about  her  horns  and  the  other 
thrown  out  of  the  window  where  ready  hands  grasped  it 
to  hold  it  taut  until  the  boys  had  all  escaped  from  the  di- 
vision. The  large  entrance  doors  were  then  closed,  the 
rope  passed  through  the  handles  and  most  securely  knot- 
ted. The  rope  achieved  two  results,  in  that  the  cow  was 
fastened  to  the  open  window,  and  at  the  same  time  the 
doors  were  firmly  closed  against  any  hasty  entrance  upon 
the  part  of  the  authorities. 

President  Robinson  w^as  among  the  first  to  discover  the 
cow's  head  at  the  window.  He  hastened  to  University 
Hall  to  inform  the  registrar,  but  found  only  one  man  on 
duty.  The  president  ordered  the  cow  removed  at  once, 
but  this  was  somewhat  of  a  difficult  undertaking,  as  she 
energetically  resented  all  assistance.     The  only  safe  way 


372 


Mi 


em  ones 


o/B 


rown 


out  of  the  difficulty  would  be  to  lower  her  down  by  the 
aid  of  block  and  tackle,  but  that  would  take  more  time 
than  the  president  would  allow.  The  students  were 
uncommonly  quiet  and  some  even  offered  to  help. 
After  exercising  a  great  deal  of  patience,  the  cow  was 


Van  Wickle  Gates 


brought  to  the  upper  landing,  but  every  effort  failed 
to  induce  her  to  take  one  step  down  the  stairs.  The 
students  were  standing  in  a  line  all  around  the  hall 
waiting  to  see  what  was  going  to  happen  next.  The  pres- 
ident stood  west  of  the  stairs,  much  interested  in  the  pro- 
ceedings, but,  notwithstanding  his  impatience,  the  dignity 


Memories  of  Brown  373 

of  his  position  would  not  allow  him  to  participate  in  the 
removal  of  the  cow.  He  finally  suggested  that  the  cow 
be  pushed  down  the  stairs,  which  plan  was  adopted  with 
the  result  that  the  cow  fell  all  in  a  heap  at  the  bottom. 
Much  to  the  surprise  of  those  present  she  was  able  to  rise 
and  walk  to  the  next  landing,  but  after  the  next  descent 
she  was  not  so  fortunate.  Willing  hands  then  conveyed 
her  across  the  campus  to  the  barn,  where  she  received 
proper  care,  but  all  efforts  to  restore  her  failed.  In  a  few 
days  her  condition  was  such  that  it  was  decided  to  put  a 
merciful  end  to  her  suffering. 

This  demonstration  on  the  part  of  the  students  resulted 
in  the  attainment  of  their  aims,  although  it  unhappily  put 
an  end  to  the  cow's  existence.  The  pasturing  of  cows 
on  the  campus  was  now  abolished,  though  previously  it 
had  been  encouraged  by  the  board  of  fellows,  who  in  cor- 
responding with  a  candidate  for  the  presidency  of  the  col- 
lege had  always  mentioned  the  fact  that  in  addition  to  his 
salary  he  would  have  the  privilege  of  pasturing  a  cow  on 
the  grounds. 


Bonfi 


res 


The  burning  of  carriages  was  common  in  those  days. 
One  of  the  most  notable  incidents  in  this  connection  took 
place  in  the  late  autumn.  The  students  interested  in  this 
particular  pastime  called  at  a  blacksmith  shop  on  Pine 
street,  and  purchased  a  worn-out  express  wagon  for  the 
sum  of  twenty-four  dollars,  including  the  material  for  a 
railing  around  the  body  of  the  wagon  large  enough  to  ad- 
mit a  number  of  tar  barrels,  boxes  filled  with  inflammable 
material,  and  fire  rockets.  At  the  favorable  time  this 
wagon  and  its  contents  were  brought  on  the  middle  cam- 
pus.    The  most  exciting  moment  was  at  the  time  of  ap- 


374 


Mi 


emories 


o/B. 


rown 


plying  the  match,  when  the  student  would  cry  "  Fire ! "  at 
the  top  of  his  voice,  and  "  Heads  out ! "  at  the  same  time 
running  for  the  nearest  fence,  usually  to  Waterman  or 


Front  Campus,  1908 
Before  the  President's  House  was  removed 


George  street.  Here  he  would  hang  with  one  foot  on  the 
fence  watching  for  the  slaves  to  appear  with  pails  of 
water,  and,  by  remaining  in  this  position  he  could  drop 
on  either  side  of  the  fence  as  the  case  required,  just  as  a 


Memories  of  Brown  375 

frog  sitting:  on  a  log"  in  a  mill-pond  will,  at  the  sight  of 
danger,  drop  in  the  water  out  of  sight. 

The  burning  of  wagons  for  amusement  reached  its  climax 
at  Brown  when  the  old  "  one-horse  shay  "  that  was  kept 
stored  in  the  college  barn  on  Prospect  street  was  burned 
on  the  middle  campus  near  the  old  pump.  For  many 
years  this  ancient  relic  had  served  Presidents  Wayland, 
Sears,  Caswell  and  Robinson.  When  the  place  of  its 
storage  became  known  to  the  students,  the  temptation  to 
secure  it  for  a  bonfire  was  too  great  to  resist.  At  the 
celebration  of  one  of  the  ball  games,  the  barn  was  entered, 
and  the  old  shay,  that  for  so  many  years  had  served  its 
generation,  was  soon  on  its  way  to  the  place  of  cremation, 
where  every  detail  was  carried  out  in  perfect  order.  At 
the  sound  of  a  signal,  the  windows  in  the  dormitories 
were  quickly  opened,  while  all  the  fish-horns  available 
were  brought  into  action.  The  students  who  occupied 
rooms  on  the  east  side  joined  those  occupying  the  win- 
dows in  the  hallways,  so  the  students  responsible  for  the 
rooms  from  whence  the  trouble  came  could  say  that  they 
were  absent  from  their  rooms,  when  called  before  the 
president.  The  slaves  were  awakened  from  their  slumbers 
by  the  cry  of  "  Fire."  To  leave  their  warm  quarters  and  go 
out  into  a  temperature  near  the  zero  mark  was  certainly 
a  severe  hardship.  When  they  appeared  with  pails  of 
water,  they  were  greeted  with  deafening  shouts  and  blasts 
on  the  horns.  The  students  tried  to  impede  the  work  as 
much  as  possible,  hurling  all  sorts  of  missiles,  even  live 
coals,  from  the  windows.  Their  efforts  were  successful 
and  all  efforts  to  save  the  old  historical  chaise  failed.  It 
will  be  remembered  by  the  participants  that,  while  the 
excitement  was  at  its  height,  the  president  and  registrar 
had  entered  the  buildings  from  the  west,  and  noiselessly 
made  their  way  up  the  hallway,  taking  the  names  of  many 
of  the  students  who  were  in  the  window-seats  absorbed  in 


376 


Memories  of  Brown 


blowing  their  horns.  When  discovered  every  one  rushed 
to  his  room.  All  that  remained  of  the  "  one-horse  shay  " 
disappeared  forever. 

From  1877  to  188 1  was  probably  the  greatest  time  in 
the  history  of  the  college  for  cane-rushes,  bonfires,  blow- 


MiDDLE  Campus 
Showing  University  Hall  Restored,  1906 


ing  of  fish-horns  and  explosions  of  gunpowder.  Spring 
and  fall  were  the  principal  times  for  this  sport.  When 
material  was  scarce,  the  students  would  take  a  mattress 
from  a  bed  or  an  old  lounge,  saturate  it  with  oil,  and 
watch  for  a  good  opportunity  to  light  it  at  a  short  distance 
from  the  buildings.     They  would   then  return   to   their 


Memories  of  Brow?t  377 

rooms  and  shout  "  Heads  out !"  which  would  bring  every 
student  with  a  horn  to  the  window.  When  the  servants 
appeared  with  pails  of  water,  the  blowing  of  the  horns 
and  shouting  would  increase  tenfold,  and  pieces  of  coal, 
inkwells,  eggs  and  other  missiles  were  thrown  from  the 
windows,  increasing  the  sport  of  the  students  and  endan- 
gering the  safety  of  the  servants. 

The  night  after  Garfield  was  elected  president,  there 
were  several  large  fires  at  the  college,  the  first  one  being 
in  the  rear,  now  the  middle,  campus.  The  students 
joined  hands,  formed  a  ring  and  danced  around  the  fire. 
One  of  the  servants  made  an  effort  to  break  through  the 
line,  when  he  received  a  blow  from  a  missile  that  broke 
his  arm.  While  this  fire  was  at  its  height  a  second  and 
a  third  one  were  started  on  the  front  campus. 

It  was  the  custom  for  President  Robinson  to  appear  on 
the  campus  on  such  occasions,  and  it  w^as  interesting  to 
see  him  with  his  coat  collar  turned  up  close  about  his 
neck,  while  from  beneath  a  very  shallow  cap  that  he  kept 
drawn  over  the  bald  part  of  his  head  escaped  long  locks 
of  white  hair  which  hung  dow^n  on  his  shoulders.  Gen- 
erally he  would  take  his  stand  in  the  shadow^  of  a  tree, 
and  try  to  determine  from  what  source  the  disturbance 
proceeded.  On  several  occasions  he  discovered  students 
securing  fuel  for  the  fire,  and,  notwithstanding  their  en- 
deavors to  escape,  he  would  often  catch  one  of  them  with 
the  end  of  his  shoe. 


Ringing  the  Bell  at  Midnight 

A  very  daring  and  well-laid  plan  was  carried  out  by 
several  of  the  young  men  in  Slater  Hall.  After  a  brief 
consultation,  it  was  proposed  to  procure  a  rope  at  one  of 
the  down-town  hardware  stores,  to  fasten  one  end  to  the 


378 


Mi 


em  ones  o 


o/B. 


rown 


college  bell  and  pass  the  other  end  through  a  window  into 
a  vacant  room  in  Slater  Hall,  where  it  was  to  receive  the 
proper  attention.  To  reach  the  bell  required  strategy. 
One  of  the  students  gained  access  to  the  room  of  the  bell- 
ringer  and  secured  the  key  to  the  door  leading  to  the 
bell-tower.  After  reaching  the  bell  he  quickly  severed 
the  rope  and  attached  the  new  line  to  the  bell  while  the 
free  end  was  carried  to  the  vacant  room  in  Slater  Hall. 
The  preparation  for  ringing  the  bell  was  not  all  of  the 
scheme.  While  this  was  in  progress,  a  decrepit  express 
wagon,  filled  with  tar  barrels  and  inflammable  material, 
was  brought  on  to  the  campus  and  left  in  front  of  Sayles 


University  Grammar  School 
Present  Site  of  the  Administration  Building 


Hall.     The  wheels  were  carefully  fastened  with  telegraph 
wire,  so  as  to  hinder  its  removal  by  the  authorities. 

After  attaching  the  line  to  the  bell,  the  work  of  block- 


Memories  of  Brown  379 

ing  every  avenue  leading  to  the  belfry  was  carefully  ac- 
complished. This  was  done  by  filling  the  keyhole  of  the 
door  leading  to  the  attic  with  filings  from  the  machine 
shop  and  fastening  the  door  of  the  janitor's  room  wdth  a 
rope.  The  pump  was  also  put  out  of  order  so  that  no 
water  could  be  obtained  to  quench  the  fiames. 

Finally  the  hour  of  midnight  came  ;  all  was  calm  and 
serene.  The  students  took  their  respective  places,  and 
each  one  pledged  himself  to  carry  out  his  part  of  the  pro- 
gramme at  any  cost.  After  a  brief  review  by  the  leaders 
of  the  movement  the  signal  was  given,  and  almost  instantly 
the  flames  leaped  from  the  doomed  wagon.  The  vibra- 
ting sound  of  the  bell  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  the  cry 
of  "Fire,"  and  the  tooting  of  fish-horns  from  the  windows 
soon  brought  people  from  far  and  near.  It  was  interest- 
ing to  see  the  different  costumes  in  which  they  came. 
Some  hurried  from  their  club-rooms  in  evening  dress, 
while  the  fair  sex  wore  shawls  loosely  thrown  over  their 
heads.  By  this  time  the  excitement  was  fast  increasing. 
The  man  manipulating  the  line  in  the  vacant  room  was 
doing  good  work  with  the  bell.  At  first  the  strokes  were 
long  and  regular,  but  gradually  they  became  fast  and  ir- 
regular. There  were  two  servants  on  duty  at  the  college, 
and  at  the  cry  of  "  Fire  "  they  rushed  from  their  beds  to  the 
door,  only  to  find  it  fastened.  A  hasty  exaniination 
brought  the  true  situation  to  light,  and  a  window  served 
as  an  exit.  The  usual  methods  of  extinguishing  bonfires 
were  adopted,  but  since  it  was  found  impossible  to  remove 
the  wire  from  the  wheels,  the  two  men  at  once  turned 
their  attention  to  the  bell. 

On  arriving  at  the  attic  door  they  found  that  the  presi- 
dent had  preceded  them.  Standing  at  the  end  of  the  hall 
were  two  students,  one  now  a  prominent  lawyer  in  New 
York,  looking  out  of  the  window  at  the  excitement,  now 
at  its  height,  and  not  heeding  the  approach  of  the  presi- 


380 


Memories  of  Brown 


dent  behind  them.  One  shouted,  "  Here  comes  Zeke!" 
believing  he  saw  the  president  approaching  through  the 
campus.  Just  at  that  moment  indeed  the  president  was 
close  by,  and  grasping  the  young  man  by  the  collar  said 


Sayles  Memorial  Hall,  1908 
Rogers  Hall  (Chemical  Laboratory)  at  the  Left 


with  the  utmost  sternness,  "  Go  to  your  room  ! "  The 
president  then  attempted  to  unlock  the  belfry  door,  but 
was  unable  to  do  so,  as  the  key-hole  was  filled  solid  with 
iron  filings.     He  therefore  ordered  the  two  men  on  duty 


Memo?' ies  oj  Brown  381 

to  force  open  the  door.  Before  this  could  be  accomplished 
there  had  been  a  delay  of  more  than  one  hour,  thus  giving 
the  student  in  the  dark  and  deserted-looking  room  in 
Slater  Hall  ample  opportunity  for  the  exercise  of  his 
physical  powers  in  pulling  at  the  improvised  bell  rope. 
Never  did  a  student  work  harder.  The  surpassing  joy  of 
remaining  uncaught  was  a  most  thrilling  reward.  The 
ancient  laurel-wreaths  of  Greece  could  not  bestow  a  rec- 
ompense so  glorious.  As  soon  as  the  tower  door  was 
opened,  the  president  quickly  grasped  the  old  bell  rope 
that  hung  just  within.  But  the  effort  was  in  vain.  The 
bell  still  continued  its  defiant  and  clarion  ring.  There 
was  a  still  further  delay  in  procuring  lanterns,  and  a  slow, 
groping  ascent  up  the  steep  and  narrow  stairs,  and  only 
when  the  bell  itself  was  reached  did  they  discover  the 
small  line,  the  source  of  all  this  disturbance.  One  stroke 
of  the  knife  brought  reward  to  those  conducting  the  in- 
vestigation, also  incidentally  warning  the  student  at  the 
other  end  that  it  was  time  to  retire.  In  his  haste  to 
escape  detection,  he  ran  into  the  nearest  room,  which  one 
minute  later  the  president  entered.  Had  Dr.  Robinson 
looked  under  the  bed  he  would  have  found  the  object  of 
his  search. 

As  soon  as  the  bell  stopped  ringing,  all  the  heads  in 
the  windows  were  withdrawn,  it  being  considered  perilous 
to  continue  further  the  disturbance  in  a  scheme  so  suc- 
cessfully carried  out.  Those  in  authority  spent  two  hours 
of  desperate  but  vain  effort  to  locate  the  originators. 


The  Paintings  of '82 

The  class  of  1882  became  famous  as  painters,  not 
especially  artistic,  but  they  won  a  reputation  city-wide. 
Their  most  famous  painting  in  oil  was  executed  in  the 


382 


M. 


em  ones  o, 


B 


rown 


course  of  a  single  night.  They  were  both  rapid  and  ener- 
getic, and  the  thoroughness  of  their  task  was  upon  the 
hps  of  all  those  fortunate  enough  to  witness  upon   the 


A  Front  Campus  Vista,  1908 


following  morning  their  completed  labors.  The  morning 
opened  up  bright  and  beautiful,  and  as  the  sun  arose  the 
numerals  of  the  class  emerged  most  distinctly,  with  the 


Memories  of  Brown  383 

various  college  structures  admirably  serving  the  purpose 
of  both  background  and  framing.  These  pictures,  though 
patterned  after  a  common  original,  all  differed  in  the 
scale  of  measurement.  The  canvases  included  all  the 
college  buildings,  not  even  omitting  the  president's  house. 
Those  placed  upon  the  front  doors  of  the  chapel  were 
sufficiently  huge  to  cover  the  entire  entrance.  The  most 
daring  and  difficult  of  all  was  the  placing  of  this  decora- 
tion upon  the  tower  of  Sayles  Hall.  How  the  boys  ac- 
complished this  feat  still  remains  a  mystery,  for  the  re- 
moval of  the  figures  required  the  erection  of  a  staging,  the 
use  of  many  yards  of  rags,  college  bedding  and  several 
gallons  of  turpentine,  and  the  enlistment  into  service  of 
the  whole  janitorial  force. 


*' Uncle  John"  Reeves 

Hundreds  of  old  graduates  will  remember  John 
Reeves,  or  "  Uncle  John,"  with  his  basket  of  tempting 
pastry  and  candy.  He  began  business  on  the  col- 
lege campus  in  or  about  i860.  His  wares  were  so 
tempting  and  his  manner  so  genial  that  he  rapidly  built 
up  a  trade  which  soon  warranted  him  in  sending  for 
his  family  from  across  the  sea.  Although  so  far  advanced 
in  years  that  he  had  indeed  a  patriarchal  appearance,  yet 
he  never  failed  in  rain  or  shine  to  be  on  hand  at  the  south 
end  of  the  chapel  steps  before  the  morning  service  and  at 
the  rear  of  the  chapel  at  the  close  of  the  first  period  of 
recitations.  He  also  attended  all  the  ball  games  and  pub- 
lic gatherings,  so  that  he  became  a  well-knowMi  figure  to 
thousands  who  did  not  attend  college. 

For  many  years  "  Uncle  John  "  worked  in  this  capacity, 
and  his  punctuality  and  kindly  manner  gained  for  him  a 


384 


M, 


em  ones  o, 


B 


rown 


large  patronage.  The  students  who  most  frequently  pur- 
chased of  him  were  those  who  were  fond  of  a  morning 
nap  and  were  thus  obliged  to  forego  a  regular  breakfast. 
When  at  last  he  became  too  feeble  to  hold  his  position 
longer,  he  was  removed,  through  the  kindness  of  friends, 
to  the  Home  for  Aged  Men,  where  his  latter  years  were 
passed  in  peace  and  comfort. 

A 11  thony  Mc  Ca  be. 


Uncle  John"  Reeves 


Memories  of  Brow/i  385 


President   Robinson's  Terse  Philos- 


ophy 


To  many  the  classroom  sayings  of  Dr.  E.  G.  Rob- 
inson were  perhaps  the  most  valuable  part  of  his 
"Autobiography."  Here  are  some  uttered  in  the 
year  1882-1883  which  do  not  appear  in  that  mem- 
orial volume.  Some  of  them  are  quoted  to  show  Dr.  Rob- 
inson's masterful  command  of  figurative  language  in  the 
exposition  of  abstract  principles;  some  his  felicity  in 
loading  a  single  virile  word  with  meaning,  and  some  the 
vital  and  essential  truths  that  animated  his  teaching. 

"  Man  is  the  tangential  point  between  the  world  of  mat- 
ter and  the  world  of  spirit." 

"  Man  is  a  pole  bean."  (With  reference  to  all  things 
fulfilling  the  laws  of  its  being.  By  virtue  of  his  nature 
man  will  climb.) 

"  I  am  free  to  act  myself  out." 

"  We  know  more  of  Christianity  than  the  Apostles." 
"  Today  a  man  does  more  thinking  while  he  is  stropping 
his  razor  than  he  did  a  few  centuries  ago  in  several  weeks." 
"  Form  power  to  judge  ;  better  reach  a  wrong  conclusion 
than  none." 

"  Every  man  must  run  the  moral  gauntlet  for  himself." 
"  In  memory  put  on  the  stamp  of  your  own  coinage." 
"  You  come  in  here  with  your  heads  rolling  around  like 
a  new-born  baby's.     I'll  steady  your  heads  for  you."     (At 
the  beginning  of  the  course  in  psychology.) 


386 


Mi 


em  ones 


'es  of  B 


rown 


"Some  men's  minds  turn  over  on  this  subject  like  the 
edge  of  an  old  case-knife  cutting  lignum-vita^." 

"You  can't  squirm  out  of  moral  law." 

"  To  be  vicious  is  to  carry  a  penalty  in  your  own  bosom," 

"  Some  say  a  man  can  grow  his  conscience  just  as  he 
can  grow  his  onions." 

"  You  have  brained  conscience  with  one  blow  when  you 
have  decided  that  you  are  governed  by  necessity." 


^ 


^3 


"  The  conscience  of  a  dog  lies  in  his  epidermis." 

"  I  will  reverence  any  man's  reverence  anywhere." 

"  Religion  is  not  a  matter  of  song  and   parades ;  you 

might  as  well  sit  on  the  steps  of  a  church  and  play  on  a 

jewsharp." 

"Some  people  think  of  Heaven  as  a  place  to  loaf  and 

sing." 

"  If  a  man  comes  to  you  whining  out  that  he  wants  to 

be  happy,  take  your  foot  to  him  and  give  him  a  boost  — 

'  Go  to  work,  you  lazy  dog.'  " 


Memories  of  Brown  387 

"  Aristotle  dictated  theology  for  a  thousand  years." 
"Locke  went  to  seed  in  Hume." 

"  The  brain  sometimes  seems  like  a  load  of  hay  ;  the 
least  thing  will  capsize  it." 

Dr.  Robinson's  moral  feelings  were  intense,  often  vol- 
canic. No  one  could  forget  the  wiry  vigor  with  which  he 
used  to  throw  out  his  right  arm  from  his  tense  body. 
And  the  upper  extremities  did  not  always  sufifice.  At  an 
Anti-Mormon  meeting  in  Providence  he  described  a  con- 
versation he  had  had  with  a  Mormon  on  one  of  his  Western 
trips.  He  expressed  the  loathing  which  the  memory  of 
the  man's  conception  of  womanhood  aroused  in  him  by 
a  violent  kick,  which  brought  down  the  house. 

An  amusing  mistake  occurred  one  day  in  Dr.  Robin- 
son's class  in  ethics.  He  was  somewhat  forgetful  when 
absorbed  in  his  teaching  and  so  found  it  best  to  interject 
any  announcement  he  had  to  make  whenever  it  came  to 
his  mind.  The  day  before  there  had  been  disorder  in  a 
recitation  of  the  junior  class  which  had  been  helped  on  by 
some  of  the  seniors  who  came  to  the  door  and  even  into 
the  lecture-room.  This  the  doctor  wished  to  reprove.  So 
when  it  came  to  his  mind  in  the  middle  of  the  hour,  he 
said  suddenly,  "  Gentlemen,  if  someone  from  outside 
should  come  into  this  room  to  make  a  disturbance, 
wouldn't  I  take  him  by  the  nape  of  the  neck  and  hustle 

him  out }  "     B ,  who  was  a  little  sleepy  that  morning, 

mistook  the  question  for  one  in  the  ordinary  course  of 
teaching  (Dr.  Robinson's  method  was  largely  catecheti- 
cal) and  answered  innocently  "  No,  sir."  At  that  the 
doctor's  wrath  blazed  out  and  he  answered  impetuously, 
"  Yes,  I  would,  too ;  you  or  any  other  man ;  "  following  up 
this  assertion  by  vigorous  language  on  the  occurrence  of 
the  preceding  day  in  which  some  before  him  were  con- 
cerned.    In  a  minute  or  two  the  doctor  saw  that  B 


388 


Mi 


em  ones 


o/B. 


rown 


had  misunderstood   him,  and  a  very  kindly  explanation 
came  at  the  close  of  the  hour. 

In  the  intensity  of  his  moral  indignation,  Dr.  Robinson 
seemed  violent  or  unduly  stern  sometimes,  but  the  best 


Front  Campus  from  Waterman  Street,  1' 
Robinson  Gate  in  the  Foreground 


men  of  1883  recognized  his  worth  and  power,  and  he  be- 
came a  strong  influence  in  their  lives.  By  appointment 
on  one  occasion,  he  met  those  who  wished  advice  on  the 
choice  of  a  calling  in  life.     In  a  helpful  talk  he  passed  in 


Memories  of  Brown  389 

review  the  various  professions,  strongly   presenting   the 
claims  of  the  Christian  ministry. 

The  depth  of  his  interest  in  the  students  was  most 
strongly  revealed  to  me  at  one  of  the  weekly  religious 
meetings.  "  You  come  to  me,"  he  said,  "for  infraction  of 
the  rules,  and  I  have  to  speak  sternly  to  you.  Then  you 
go  away  and  say,  '  the  doctor  is  pretty  hard.'  But  I  want 
to  tell  you  that  my  heart  yearns  over  every  one  of  you." 
This  he  said  with  an  earnestness  of  manner  and  a  tremor 
in  his  voice  which  showed  that  he  was  deeply  moved. 

An  incident  of  Professor  Lincoln  may  perhaps  add  a 
little  to  the  delightful  portraiture  of  him  that  we  have  in 
the  memorial  volume.  I  was  standing  one  day  beside  him 
while  he  was  watching  a  close  game  of  baseball  between 
Brown  and  Yale.  He  manifested  his  interest  by  his  usual 
lively  movements,  and  when  Yale  made  a  costly  error, 
clapped  his  hands,  then  abruptly  stopped  clapping,  and, 
in  his  inimitable  boyish  way,  said,  "Oh,  I  forgot;  that  is 
contra  iirbauitatcnir 

One  word  in  justice  to  the  boys  of  those  days.  Junior 
burial  was  an  established  institution,  attended  with  lots  of 
fun  and  frolic.  It  was  the  mock  burial  of  one  of  the  pro- 
fessors after  a  funeral  procession  through  the  streets  of 
Providence.  There  were  transparencies  and  an  oration 
at  the  expense  of  the  professor  buried,  and  the  mock 
chaplain,  often  one  of  the  fastest  fellows  in  college,  was 
not  wanting.  It  came  to  be  felt  that  the  practice  was  un- 
kind to  the  professors  and  irreverent.  In  the  class  of 
1882  there  was  a  strong  vote  against  it;  in  1883,  after  a 
full  and  free  discussion,  there  was  a  decided  vote  not  to 
observe  the  custom  —  and  so  sanity  and  kindliness  won 
the  day  and  established  a  precedent  for  future  classes. 

Isaac  B.  Burgess,  i88j. 


390  Memories  of  Brown 


Classroom  Memories 


PROFESSOR  LINCOLN  often  talked  to  his  class 
in  Latin.  That  is,  he  used  short  Latin  sentences 
and  phrases  which  the  class  could  readily  under- 
stand. This  seemed  very  wonderful  to  freshmen 
who  had  never  thought  of  Latin  as  something  that  could 
be  spoken.  For  example,  when  the  applause  was  becom- 
ing a  little  too  strenuous  he  would  shake  his  head  with  a 
deprecating  gesture  and  cry,  "  Non  pedibus."  One  day  a 
student  who  had  poorly  prepared  his  lesson  was  struggling 
along  with  the  translation,  trying,  perhaps,  to  make  a  bluff 
of  the  recitation.  Presently  he  came  to  a  word  which  he 
said  he  did  not  know  and  the  professor  cried,  "Unum, 
duo,  tres,  quatuor  annos  Latine  studuisti  et  illud  verbum 
non  comprendisti." 

President  Robinson  in  his  lectures  after  a  careful  dis- 
cussion of  some  abstract  point  would  often  begin  a  new 
paragraph  with  the  phrase  "  Thus  it  is  evident,"  or  "  Thus 
we  clearly  see."  One  day  a  student  was  worrying  along 
in  his  recitation  with  much  effort  on  the  part  of  the  presi- 
dent to  get  something  from  him.  Finally  in  despair 
President  Robinson  said,  "  Well,  go  on,"  and  the  student 
began,  "  Thus  we  clearly  see."  The  president  joined  in 
the  laugh  that  followed. 

Henry  P.  Manning,  iSSj. 

The  late  Professor  T.  Whiting  Bancroft,  affection- 
ately called  "  Timmy,"  was  a  great  believer  in  a  sort 
of   sliding  scale  for   the   literary  abilities  of   his  pupils. 


Memories  of  Brow?i 


39 


as  they  advanced  under  his  guidance  in  their  rhetorical 
and  Hterary  career.  One  freshman  student,  in  fulfilhng 
his  composition  duties,  handed  in  a  certain  essay  which 
was  duly  corrected  by  the  professor,  who  gave  him  a 
mark  of  ninety.      In  his  sophomore  year  it  became  the 


Professor  T.  Whiting  Bancroft,  1859 
(Taken  about  1884) 


duty  of  this  self-same  student  to  present  another  com- 
position, but,  as  the  time  pressed,  he  was  compelled  to 
erase  the  pencil  corrections  of  his  freshman  year  and 
deliver  the  identical  paper  again.  The  paper  was  re- 
turned with  some  of  the  previous  corrections  noted  again 
and  with  a  mark  of  ninety-5/lf. 


392  Memories  of  Brow?t 

President  Robinson,  commonly  called  "  Zeke,"  enjoyed 
a  rather  fine  sense  of  humor.  The  subject  of  moral 
philosophy  seems  a  little  dull  for  boys  who  have  not 
started  for  Heaven  by  way  of  the  ministry.  Accordingly, 
one  bitter  winter  day,  the  seniors  considered  that  a  vaca- 
tion from  the  usual  lecture  would  be  desirable,  and  care- 
fully opened  the  windows  of  the  recitation-room  of  Man- 
ning Hall.  Unfortunately  this  fact  must  have  attracted 
the  eagle  eye  of  the  doctor,  for  at  the  lecture  hour  he 
sauntered  over  in  his  heavy  coat  and  warm  skull-cap,  and 
seated  himself  in  his  usual  chair  in  the  icy  hall.  Without 
uttering  a  word,  or  giving  a  hint  as  to  the  unusual  tem- 
perature, he  proceeded  mildly  and  with  all  the  gravity  of 
a  Roman  senator  to  discuss  with  the  class  for  one  full, 
torturing  hour  the  beauties  of  moral  philosophy.  It  is 
safe  to  say  that  this  class  did  not  try  again  the  experi- 
ment of  the  open  window. 

William  M.  P.  Boiuen,  1884. 


It  is  sometimes  said  that  a  joke  can  be  carried  too  far. 
So  the  professor  discovered  one  day  when  a  plan  that 
had  been  carefully  laid  was  carried  into  effect.  It  had 
been  the  custom  for  the  professor  from  time  immemo- 
rial, as  often  as  the  passage  in  Homer  referring  to  the 
" well-greaved  Ach^eans"  was  reached,  to  ask,  "Well, 
Mr.  Blank,  what  were  they  grieved  about  ?  "  and,  when  in- 
formed that  the  word  "well-greaved"  referred  to  armor 
for  the  legs,  to  laugh  heartily  at  his  own  joke  ;  the  class, 
of  course,  would  laugh  too.  This  day  the  familiar  passage 
came,  and  the  familiar  question  came  also  and  then  came 
the  familiar  hearty  laugh  on  the  part  of  the  professor,  but 
each  student  was  as  solemn  and  quiet  as  if  at  a  funeral ; 
only  the  professor's  chuckling  voice  broke  the  silence. 
He  soon  ceased  and,  blushing  and  nervous,  proceeded 


Memories  of  Brown  393 

impatiently  witli  the  lesson.  Soon  the  passage  occurred 
again  and  from  force  of  habit  the  same  question  and  the 
same  laughter  on  the  part  of  the  professor,  but  a  solemn 
stillness  on  the  part  of  the  students  prevailed,  and  al- 
though only  twenty  minutes  of  the  hour  had  gone  by  the 
class  was  dismissed  with  an  extra  long  passage  of  Homer 
for  translation  for  the  next  day. 

Robert  H.  Ferguson,  1884. 


Back  in  the  early  eighties  a  brilliant  graduate  of 
Brown  University,  the  valedictorian  of  his  class,  was 
called  to  teach  the  senior  class  in  logic.  The  class 
soon  discovered  the  instructor's  weak  points  and  made 
his  life  a  perpetual  torment.  Whenever  he  attempted 
to  write  an  outline  of  the  day's  work  upon  the  board 
his  hand  and  head  were  made  targets  for  all  sorts 
of  missiles  in  the  form  of  torpedoes  and  lighted  fire- 
crackers. All  exercises  which  were  written  upon  the 
board  by  the  students  were  distorted  in  such  a  way  as  to 
give  opportunity  to  the  class  to  bring  down  the  "George 
Washington  stamp  "  or  to  introduce  some  other  form  of 
disturbance.  Students  were  never  absent ;  their  names 
were  always  responded  to  by  specially  delegated  friends. 
There  were  no  failures  in  recitation ;  those  who  were  not 
prepared  found  no  dif^culty  in  securing  the  services  of 
the  more  fortunate.  It  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  to 
open  exercises  with  fireworks,  and  often  the  room  was 
filled  with  smoke  to  suffocation. 

Some  of  the  instructors  in  elocution  had  similar  ex- 
periences. Declamations  were  then  given  in  the  old 
chapel,  Manning  Hall.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  instruc- 
tor to  ask  ten  or  a  dozen  of  the  class  to  speak  on  a  given 
afternoon,  while  the  remainder  of  the  class  were  allowed 
to   constitute  the   audience.     While   declamations   were 


394 


Mi 


emortes 


ofB 


rown 


being  delivered,  the  audience  lost  no  opportunity  in  an- 
noying both  the  instructor  and  the  speaker,  and  the 
young  orator  who  passed  successfully  through  the  ordeal 
certainly  received  a  rare  preparation  for  his  life's  work. 
Frequently  the  entire  audience  would  rush  up  the  narrow^ 
stairways  to  the  gallery,  leaving  the  speaker  and  instruc- 


Professor  John  W.  P.  Jenks,  1838 
(Taken  about  1884) 


tor  to  themselves,  then  at  a  signal  from  some  of  the  lead- 
ers the  whole  class  would  return  to  their  places  below. 
In  another  department  one  of  the  professors  was  obliged 
to  submit  to  a  musical  introduction  to  his  lecture,  and 
often  those  in  the  adjoining  rooms  could  hear  "  Old 
Hundred,"  and  other  solemn  hymns,  rendered  with  a  de- 


Me??iories  of  Brown  395 

gree  of  earnestness  which  would  do  credit  to  a  country 
prayer-meeting. 

We  cannot  help  loving  the  well-behaved  boy,  nor  ad- 
miring the  student  who  gives  us  no  trouble  in  the  class- 
room; still,  is  the  good  behavior  of  the  modern  student  an 
indication  of  real  advance  in  quality  of  true  education,  or 
is  it  an  expression  of  the  very  deficiences  which  we  de- 
plore in  the  student  of  today  ? 

Otis  E.  Randall,  1S84. 


President  Robinson  in  the  psychology  class  was  ex- 
plaining how  we  acquire  knowledge ;  that,  once  possessed 
of  an  idea,  it  would  always  remain  somewhere  in  the 
mind,  though  for  a  time  forgotten.  Putting  it  in  another 
form  he  said  to  a  student, "  Mr.  B.,  do  you  know  that  your 
head  is  a  graveyard  ?  " 

Physical  life  is  much  the  same  in  men  and  in  animals. 
Impressing  this  fact  he  said,  "  Mr.  B.,  you  were  just  like 
any  other  little  animal  when  you  were  born." 

A  student  was  standing  up  trying  to  recite,  but  could 
not  find  anything  to  say;  he  was  standing  first  on  one 
foot  and  then  on  the  other.  At  length  President  Robin- 
son remarked,  "  Mr.  B.,  you  remind  me  of  a  certain  two- 
legged  animal  in  a  barnyard,  which  stands  part  of  the 
time  on  one  leg  and  part  of  the  time  on  the  other." 

R.  K.  Wickett,  i8go. 


Professor  Alonzo  Williams  frequently  referred  in  the 
classroom  to  the  war  and  to  his  experiences  as  a  soldier. 
There  was  a  vein  of  humor  running  through  his  lectures 
and  sometimes  he  gave  free  rein  to  his  tendency  to  be 


396  Memories  of  Brown 

humorous.  On  one  occasion  he  was  giving  a  lecture  to 
the  class  of  1890  upon  the  "  Maid  of  Orleans."  Said  he, 
"  Young  gentlemen,  enthusiasm  is  a  great  thing.  It  was 
enthusiasm  that  led  the  Maid  of  Orleans  to  leave  her 
fiock  upon  the  green  hills  of  her  native  district  and  travel 
alone  and  unprotected  down  through  France  and  place 
herself  at  the  head  of  the  French  army,  beaten,  dispirited 


Professor  Alonzo  Williams,  1870 

and  overawed,  and  lead  it  to  glorious  victory.  And, 
young  gentlemen,  it  was  enthusiasm  that  led  the  men  of 
the  North  to  leave  their  farms,  shops  and  offices  and  go 
to  the  front  to  fight  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union. 
So  great  was  their  enthusiasm  that  I  have  seen  them  go 
off  in  transports." 

James  A.  Williams,  i8go. 


Memories  of  Brown  397 


The  Bogus  Elective  Card 


THE  time  for  the  class  of  Eighty-four  to  declare 
its  wishes  in  regard  to  elective  studies  had  come. 
Each  man  was  required  to  choose  a  certain 
number  of  hours  from  the  scheme  placed  be- 
fore him.  Now,  it  so  happened  that  one  of  the  pro- 
fessors was  far  from  popular  with  the  students,  and 
still  the  subject  he  was  supposed  to  teach  was  a  very 
important  branch.  A  considerable  number  elected  this 
study  because  they  felt  that  it  was  almost  necessary  to 
know  something  of  the  subject,  even  if  they  did  consider 
the  instructor  inefficient. 

Perhaps  this  designation  coming  from  those  who  never 
were,  in  college  or  out,  so  very  brilliant,  would  seem  like 
an  unjustifiable  stricture,  but  when  we  remember  that  the 
man  in  question  was  not  reelected  to  his  chair,  and  that 
the  maturer  judgments  of  the  students  still  affirm  the 
same  thing,  it  will  not  seem  like  "a  snap  judgment." 
But  be  that  as  it  may,  someone  filled  out  a  card  including 
the  name  of  a  student  who  had  his  full  time  otherwise 
employed,  and  with  the  superior  teachers.  Of  course, 
this  bogus  card  got  to  the  professor  in  charge  of  the  de- 
partment. 

From  the  very  first  day  to  the  close  of  the  term  the 
poor  professor  had  to  read  his  lecture.  In  roll-call  he  was 
equally  tied  to  his  notes,  and  he  never  tried  to  know  any- 
one of  us  on  the  street.  We  will  call  one  of  the  students 
"  Timberlake,"  because  there  was  no  such  name  on  the 
roll,  and  this  we  will  assume  was  the  name  on  the  bogus 


398  Memories  of  Brown 

card.  The  name  was  regularly  called  morning  by  morn- 
ing, and  was  regularly  answered  to. 

After  a  time  the  professor  desired  to  test  the  attain- 
ments of  Mr.  Timberlake  in  the  subject  in  hand,  but  no 
one  responded  to  the  call.  After  repeated  ineffectual  at- 
tempts to  extract  a  recitation  from  the  imaginary  student, 
he  broke  out  one  morning  with,  "  Perhaps — the  gentle- 
man— who  answered  for — Mr.  Timberlake  at  roll-call — 
will  be  good  enough  to  recite  for  him."  The  answer  to 
this  sally  was  a  loud  laugh  from  all  parts  of  the  room. 

In  anticipation  of  a  repetition  of  the  effort  to  land  the 
Mr.  Timberlake,  another  man  of  the  class,  not  the  real 
Mr.  Timberlake,  crammed  the  review  lesson  to  perfection 
and  came  into  the  classroom  "  loaded  to  the  muzzle,"  as 
one  might  say.  According  to  expectation,  another  effort 
was  made  to  secure  results,  and  to  the  utter  surprise  of 
the  professor,  the  call  to  recite  was  answered  with  unusual 
alacrity,  and  the  pseudo  student  made  "  a  cold  rush,"  cov- 
ered himself  with  glory  and  saved  all  the  rest  of  the  class 
from  danger  so  far  as  that  part  of  the  work  was  concerned. 
At  the  close  of  this  brilliant  display,  Mr.  Professor  compli- 
mented him  on  the  accuracy  of  his  remarks  and  added 
that  he  wished  to  see  him  at  his  desk  as  soon  as  the 
class  adjourned. 

But  even  this  possibility  had  been  foreseen  and  pro- 
vided for.  In  just  a  few  moments  there  was  a  knock. 
One  of  the  students  opened  the  door,  bowed  politely  to 
what  was  supposed  to  be  the  caller  and  announced  that 
Mr.  Timberlake  was  wanted.  The  temporary  member  of 
the  class  rose  in  a  dignified  manner  and  departed ;  not, 
however,  till  he  had  signalled  back  exultantly  from  the 
safe  side  of  the  door. 

Of  course,  this  put  a  stop  to  the  further  investigation  of 
the  case  for  that  day,  but  w^hen  the  next  recitation  oc- 
curred  the  result  of  prolonged  midnight  cogitation  ap- 


M, 


em  ones  o. 


Bro 


wn 


399 


peared  also,  for  instead  of  the  usual  roll-call  at  the  open- 
ing of  the  exercise,  the  lecture  began  at  once.  After  the 
regular  work  was  covered,  the  professor  announced  that 
he  would  call  the  roll,  and  as  each   man  was  called  he 


Slater  Hall  from  the  Southeast 


would  please  take  his  hat  and  depart.  As  the  middle  of 
the  alphabet  was  approached  a  man  answered  to  his  name, 
was  seen  to  make  a  start  for  the  door,  and,  as  the  profes- 
sor's eyes  glanced  at  the  list  to  learn  which  name  came 


400  Memories  of  Brown 

next,  dropped  into  a  handy  seat.  When  at  last  Mr.  Tim- 
berlake  was  called  this  man  got  up  and  genuinely  de- 
parted. Thus  it  happened  at  the  end  of  the  call  all  seats 
were  empty,  and  Mr.  Timberlake  had  slipped  through  his 
fingers  again. 

The  next  day  a  card  was  handed  to  the  registrar  to  be 
conveyed  to  the  elusive  mortal.  It  got  to  the  genuine,  of 
course,  and  just  at  the  right  moment,  just  as  the  class 
broke  up,  the  real  Timberlake  walked  in  as  dignified  and 
sober  as  the  worthy  president  could  be  on  occasion.  He 
proceeded  directly  to  the  desk  and  said  at  once,  "  Mr. 
Professor,  I  believe  you  wish  to  see  me  at  this  time." 

"  What  name,  please  ?  " 

"  Timberlake,  sir." 

"  Timberlake  ;  oh  yes ;  I  wanted  to  know,  sir,  why  you 
have  not  been  present  more  regularly  at  the  recitations  in 
this  department,  and  what  you  mean  by  your  recent  con- 
duct ? " 

"  Well,  sir,  I  didn't  elect  this  subject,  and  don't  care  to 
take  it  under  the  present  administration." 

"  But,  sir,  I  have  your  card  electing  this  subject,  and 
your  conduct  has  been  reprehensible." 

"As  to  that,  Mr.  Professor,  I  don't  know,  and  I  don't 
care.  I  do  not  care  to  take  this  subject,  and  have  no  in- 
terest in  the  results." 

As  he  said  that,  Mr.  Timberlake  turned  on  his  heel  and 
walked  off,  leaving  the  learned  professor  to  cogitate  on  the 
number  of  possible  combinations  of  twenty  or  thirty  youth 
with  one  old  man.  Doubtless  he  remembered  the  occa- 
sion long  after  he  left  the  precincts  of  Providence,  but  as 
he  was  not  there  at  the  opening  of  the  new  year,  he  did 
not  need  to  combine  his  mental  ponderosity  with  the  in- 
tellectual agility  of  Eighty-five.  Eighty-four  gave  him 
food  for  reflection  for  some  years. 

Charles  R.  Upton,  1884. 


Memories  of  Brown  40 1 


Confessions  of  a  Salutatorian 


HE  commencement  part  assigned  to  me 

was  the  Latin  salutatory.     It  occurred 

to   me   that    I   should  probably  never 

have  another  opportunity  to  address  so 

large  and  intellectual  an  audience   as 

that  I  should  face  at  commencement, 

and    I    besought    Professor   Bancroft, 

chairman  of  the  proper  committee,  that 

I  might  be  allowed  to  speak  my  mighty 

thoughts  in  English.     "  No,"  he  said,  "  the  college  stands 

for  both  conservatism  and  progress ;  and  it  has  fallen  to 

your  lot  to  represent  conservatism.'' 

At  the  appointed  time  I  presented  my  oration  in  writ- 
ing to  Professor  Lincoln,  at  the  close  of  a  recitation.  He 
ran  it  over  with  his  eye,  while  with  apprehension  I  saw 
him  contract  his  eyebrows  and  purse  up  his  lips. 

"  Why  this  is  so  curt !''  was  his  disheartening  comment. 
The  production  was  not  Ciceronian  or  Livian  the  least 
bit.  I  explained  that  as  I  was  obliged  to  speak  in  Latin, 
and  wished  so  far  as  possible  to  be  understood,  I  had  pur- 
posely made  my  sentences  short,  and  had  paid  little  at- 
tention to  mere  euphony.  He  was  not  satisfied,  but  took 
the  unlucky  salutatory  away  for  further  examination. 
At  our  next  meeting,  he  courteously  expressed  the  fear 
that  he  had  been  too  short  with  me  ;  nevertheless,  he  was 
not  satisfied.  The  Latin  was  correct ;  but  the  style  did 
not  befit  the  occasion  and  subject.  He  handed  me  a 
former  salutatory  more  after  his  taste  to  serve  me  as   a 


402 


Memories  of  Brown 


model.  The  sentences  were  magnificent  rolling  periods 
half  a  page  long.  I,  of  course,  endeavored  to  modify  my 
jerky  production  in  the  direction  of  euphony,  amplitude 
and  elaborateness  of  diction,  and  between  us  the  piece 
was  at  length  done.     Then  there  was  more  trouble   for 


Looking  North  on  Prospect  Street 


me.  Professor  Lincoln  had  recently  adopted  the  Roman 
pronunciation,  and  desired  me  to  use  it  in  delivering  my 
oration.  I  had  very  little  time  in  which  to  master  the  art 
of  saying  (videre)  we-day-rch  instead  of  vye-dee-ry,  and  I 
doubt  if  it  was  any  particular  pronunciation  which  I  used 


Memories  of  Brow?i  403 

on  commencement  day.  But  this  requirement,  that  I 
should  speak  not  only  in  Latin,  but  with  a  pronunciation 
strange  to  me  and  unintelligible  to  the  audience,  de- 
stroyed my  last  hope  of  impressing  upon  that  great  gath- 
ering the  burning  thoughts  which  I  had  so  laboriously 
forced  into  Latin.  I  was  not  happy  when  my  turn  came 
to  mount  the  commencement  platform.  I  had  first  to  ad- 
dress a  few  remarks  to  President  Robinson ;  his  expres- 
sion was  severe,  inflexible.  I  was  sure  he  neither  under- 
stood my  flattering  endorsement  of  him,  nor  cared  to  un- 
derstand. As  I  addressed  the  alumni,  a  large  chunk  of 
my  speech  dropped  out  of  my  memory ;  but  here  I  found 
consolation  in  the  situation — no  one  knew  that  I  had 
omitted  anything,  for  no  one  understood  me  at  all,  except 
Professor  E.  Benjamin  Andrews,  who  smiled  several 
times  when  I  delivered  a  joke.  On  his  account  I  re- 
gretted that  lost  chunk.  The  rest  of  the  audience  re- 
garded me,  though  not  with  understanding  so  far  as  I  saw, 
yet  with  a  certain  awe  as  if  listening  to  the  herald  of 
strange  and  unsettling  doctrines.  It  was  the  time-hon- 
ored privilege  of  the  salutatorian  to  excite  applause  and 
laughter  by  addressing  the  '' pulcherrimae  piicilae''  of 
Providence,  who  had  made  our  sojourn  in  the  city  so  de- 
lightful. '' PulcJicrrimac  piiellae''  were  about  the  only 
words  which  everybody  was  expected  to  understand.  I 
took  advantage  of  the  new  pronounciation  to  address  the 
girls  as  "  Dool-kiss-i-mye  poo-el-lye  "  (Dulcissimae  puel- 
lae),  but  my  poor  joke  fell  flat. 

There  was  a  Latin  salutatory  the  following  year  by 
Frank  Day.  He  was  the  last  of  the  Latin  salutatorians, 
a  proud  distinction  ;  but  mine  is  still  prouder,  for  I  firmly 
believe  it  was  I  who  gave  the  death-blow  to  the  institu- 
tion, and  even  such  surgical  skill  as  his  could  avail  to 
keep  it  alive  no  more  than  a  year. 

Frank  M.  Bronsou,  1SS4. 


404  Memories  of  Brown 

How  Eighty- four  Worried   a 
Professor 


T  SHALL  never  forget  the  cruel  treatment  meted  out 
by  our  class  to  a  certain  member  of  the  faculty,  now 
passed  away,"  a  graduate  of  the  class  of  1884  lately 
told  me.  "He  was  a  kind  old  soul,  but  his  bump 
of  executive  ability  was  not  highly  developed.  He  knew 
his  subject,  but  he  did  not  know  how  to  keep  the  class  in 
check.  Boy  fashion,  we  rode  over  him.  It  looks  foolish 
now,  but  we  thought  it  was  funny  then.  The  first  day 
we  met  him  in  classroom  there  was  such  a  scuffling  of 
feet  that  it  sounded  like  pandemonium. 

"  He  was  great  on  dictation,  and  after  he  had  dictated  a 
sentence  or  two  there  was  sure  to  be  somebody  who  had 
to  ask  him  to  repeat.  Usually  the  mischief-maker  would 
select  some  simple  word  that  was  likely  to  appear  several 
times  in  a  paragraph,  as  for  instance  '  and  '  or  '  the.' 

"  '  Professor,'  he  would  say,  '  will  you  please  repeat  from 
"and"'? 

"  So  the  professor  would  repeat  from  'and,'  and  which- 
ever '  and  '  he  chose  it  was  certain  to  be  the  wrong  one. 
'  Excuse  me,'  the  wicked  student  would  say, '  but  I  meant 
the  "  and  "  just  ahead  of  that  one.' 

"  There  was  apt  to  be  trouble  when  the  recitations  were 
in  progress.  Some  malefactor  would  listen  for  a  moment 
or  two  to  Mr.  Smith  reciting,  then  up  would  go  his  hand 
and  he  would  say : 

"  '  Professor,  what  does  Mr.  Smith  mean  when  he  says 
so  and  so } ' 


M 


em  ones  o 


o/B^ 


rown 


405 


"  Of  course,  that  required  a  long  course  of  explanation 
and  very  likely  some  retaliation  on  Mr.  Smith's  part. 

"  At  last  it  got  so  bad  the  president  came  in.  He  said 
the  pandemonium  would  have  to  stop.  For  a  day  or  two 
there  was  an  improvement,  then  the  old  tumult  was  re- 
newed. Again  the  president  appeared  and  this  time  he 
declared  that  if  the  professor  was  obliged  to  report  the 
name  of  any  unruly  student,  that  student  would  be  ex- 


Marston  Field  House 
Andrews  Field 

pelled.  This  kept  us  quiet  for  a  day  or  so,  but  as  we 
were  a  new  class  to  the  professor  he  hardly  knew  us  by 
name  and  the  result  was  that  we  were  soon  in  as  much  of 
an  uproar  as  ever.  Then  for  a  third  time  the  president 
came  in  and  this  time  he  told  us  that  he  would  not  sub- 
mit a  member  of  the  faculty  to  the  insults  of  so  unmanly 
a  lot  of  young  barbarians,  or  words  to  that  effect.  I  be- 
lieve that  was  the  end  of  the  professor's  connection  with 
the  college." 

Henry  Robinson  Palmer,  i8go. 


406  Me^nories  of  Brown 

'^ Something  Doing"  in  the 
Eighties 


IN  the  eighties  there  was  generally  "something  doing" 
about  the  Brown  campus.  In  those  days  the  col- 
lege rooms  were  heated  by  stoves,  one  in  each  room, 
and  in  the  closet  was  a  supply  of  coal,  laboriously 
carried  up  from  one  to  three  flights  of  stairs  on  the  backs 
of  the  coal  handlers.  In  the  late  autumn,  when  the  campus 
was  covered  with  fallen  leaves,  it  was  no  uncommon  oc- 
currence for  fires  to  start  in  the  leaves  in  various  places 
on  the  front  campus  adjoining  Hope  College.  What 
could  be  the  cause  ?  Not  freshmen  with  matches,  not 
cigar  stubs  thrown  carelessly  away,  not  crossed  electric 
wires.  The  department  of  applied  domestic  science,  the 
so-called  "slaves,"  exclusively  men  in  those  days,  were  at 
a  loss  to  account  for  the  phenomenon.  However,  they 
ran  hither  and  yon  to  the  burning  spots  with  water, 
brooms,  shovels  and  other  fire-fighting  apparatus  and  ex- 
tinguished the  flames.  Who  shall  say  that  the  classics  of 
Greece  and  Rome  are  without  influence  in  these  prag- 
matical days?  Why  learn  of  Caesar's  sieges  with  fire 
pouring  down  on  the  hide-covered  vineae  or  of  Archime- 
des and  his  burning  glass  at  Syracuse  and  have  those 
classic  gems  flit  before  the  mind  like  the  "  words,  words  " 
of  Hamlet's  reading?  Let  us  be  practical;  practical  or 
nothing.  At  Dotheboys  Hall  when  a  lad  had  learned  to 
spell  "  w-i-n-d-e-r  "  he  was  sent  out  to  wash  a  "  winder  "  so 
that  he  might  not  forget  what  a  window  was.     A  shovel- 


Memories  of  Brown  407 

fill  of  hot  coals  thrown  from  the  upper  windows  of  Hope 
would  rid  the  campus  of  the  withered  relics  of  summer. 
To  think  was  to  act  and  the  shower  of  hot  coals  sown 
broadcast,  like  the  dragon's  teeth  of  Cadmus,  sprang  up, 
calling  forth  not  only  a  crop  of  tiny  blazes  but  a  bucket 
and  broom  brigade  as  well.  The  diversion  was  height- 
ened by  the  long-continued  inability  of  the  "  slaves " 
to  guess  the  origin  of  the  flames.  Finally  the  experi- 
ment was  interrupted  by  those  "  suspenders  for  college 
breaches,"  the  faculty. 

Later  the  interest  in  the  subjects  of  heat  and  light  took 
the  form  of  burning  mattresses  on  the  concrete  near  the 
pump  at  the  east  side  of  Hope.  Many  a  piece  of  old  ex- 
celsior bedding,  many  a  gallon  of  Standard  oil  upraised 
the  torch  of  knowledge  to  the  admiring  gaze  of  an  enthu- 
siastic gallery  in  the  windows  of  the  old  dormitory. 
"  Heads  out,  heads  out !"  A  mattress  on  fire  near  the 
pump  !  Enter  the  servi  with  brooms  and  buckets.  Tre- 
mendous applause  and  cries  of  "  Good  for  you,  Antone!  " 
"  Ah,  there,  Jordan  ! "  "  Another  bucket,  Dan  !  "  "  Ki  yi, 
Graham !  "  The  zeal  on  the  part  of  the  student-body 
was  not  confined  to  cheering,  horn-blowing  and  chafTfing. 
No  firemen  were  more  active  and  from  every  window 
within  range  there  issued  mugfuls,  dipperfuls,  pailfuls  of 
H., O.  What  if  the  concrete  should  ignite,  the  iron  pump 
catch  fire  or  the  well  itself  should  burn?  Unfortunately 
some  of  the  water  missed  the  fire  and  soaked  the  ser- 
vants. 

Upon  one  occasion  a  young  man  then  preparing  for 
the  ministry,  a  faithful  soldier  of  the  cross  who  has  since 
carried  the  message  of  his  Master  beyond  the  sea  to  east- 
ern lands,  was  reading  his  Bible  and  planning  his  talk  to 
the  prayer  meeting.  He  did  not  even  look  out  of  his 
window  nor  take  any  notice  of  current  events  so  absorbed 
was  he  in  his  work.     Suddenly  there  was  a  sharp  rap  on 


408  Memories  of  B 


rown 


the  hall  door  opposite  his  fourth-floor  room  ;  then  a  per- 
emptory knock  on  his  own  door.  A  furious  water-soaked 
man  sprang  in  "  I  want  to  look  at  your  water  pail."  "  It's 
in  the  closet."  The  servant  finding  it  empty  addressed 
the  minister  in  bitter  terms  as  no  gentleman,  a  fit  candi- 
date for  college  discipline.  There  was  no  chance  for  ex- 
planation. Our  missionary  listened  a  minute  in  wonder, 
amazement  and  finally  with  rising  indignation.  The  stu- 
dents from  across  the  hall  appeared  at  the  door.  They 
saw  the  missionary's  fist  palpitating  close  beneath  the  ser- 
vant's nose  and  they  heard  in  the  most  direct  and  un- 
equivocal English  that  the  servant  who  came  up  there 
again  and  insulted  a  man  who  did  not  even  then  know 
what  the  trouble  was  about  would  go  down  much  quicker 
than  he  came  up  (three  steps  at  a  time).  The  men 
across  the  hall  had  thrown  the  water  which  had  inflamed 
the  servant  instead  of  extinguishing  the  fire. 

Somebody  has  said,  speaking  of  phrenology,  "  You 
can't  tell  any  more  what  is  inside  a  man's  head  by  the 
bumps  outside  than  you  can  tell  what  is  inside  a  bureau 
drawer  by  feeling  of  the  knobs."  Certainly  an  empty 
water  pail  did  not  prove  a  man  guilty.  The  blameless 
parson  received  the  blast  of  wrath  and  the  amused  cul- 
prits escaped  behind  his  burning  indignation.  How 
many  such  a  picture  hangs  in  the  dim  background  of  the 
old  college  man's  memory.  Today  he  may  be  poor  and 
obscure  if  perchance  his  life  has  been  tossed  on  stormy 
seas.  He  may  clutch  at  the  baubles  of  fame  and  wear 
many  a  wreath  not  without  its  thorns,  he  may  bask  in 
prosperity's  smile  the  gilded  captive  of  conventionality 
and  circumstance,  but  what  memories  are  dearer,  what 
friendships  more  fondly  enshrined  than  those  of  his  col- 
lege days } 

Arthur  C.  Barrows,  i88§. 


Memories  of  Brow?i  409 

Anecdotes  of  the  Faculty  in 
Dr.  Robinson's  Time 


DR.  ROBINSON'S  baccalaureate  sermons  attracted 
unusually  large  congregations.  I  have  been  pres- 
ent at  all  these  services,  except  one,  from  1877 
up  to  the  time  of  this  writing.  There  are  many 
who  will  remember  his  last  farewell  sermon  to  the  graduat- 
ing class  in  the  First  Baptist  Meeting-house.  The  church 
w'as  crowded,  with  all  the  standing  room  taken,  and  a  great 
many  people  were  unable  to  enter  the  edifice.  The  day 
was  looked  forward  to  with  much  interest  by  the  com- 
munity and  friends  of  the  college,  because  it  was  to  be 
the  last  time  he  would  speak  to  any  class  in  an  official 
capacity. 

Whenever  President  Robinson  was  called  upon  to  de- 
liver public  addresses  he  always  commanded  the  most 
profound  attention  of  his  audiences.  His  sentences  were 
delivered  wath  such  precision  of  thought  and  incisiveness 
of  utterance  as  to  indicate  that  back  of  all  this  lay  a  firm- 
ness of  convicticn  and  a  nobility  of  character  such  as  few 
men  possessed,  and  which  served  to  add  weight  and  dig- 
nity to  his  speech. 

Dr.  T.  Edwin  Brown,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  for  many  years  during  President  Robinson's  ad- 
ministration, who  lived  upon  terms  of  intimate  friendship 
with  him  and  well  understood  the  great  heart  which  he 
possessed,  gives  the  following  reminiscences  which  illus- 
trate his  true  character. 


410  Memories  of  Brown 

"  One  bitterly  cold  Saturday  night,  Rev.  James  M.  Tay- 
lor—  now  President  Taylor  of  Vassar  College  —  and  my- 
self were  in  Manning  Hall  at  a  meeting  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Conference  of  the  College  Christian  Association. 
Dr.  Robinson  sat  just  behind  us.  At  the  close  of  the 
service  he  leaned  forward,  put  a  hand  on  each  man's 
shoulder,  and  said,  '  Boys,  it's  a  cold  night.  I  have  a 
rousing  fire  in  my  study  grate.  Come  over  and  toast 
your  shins  awhile.' 

"In  that  study  I  once  saw  the  doctor  wasting  his  time 
playing  with  a  kitten  and  a  string. 

"  At  the  close  of  a  baccalaureate  service  I  said  to  one  of 
the  members  of  the  class, '  That  was  a  great  appeal  straight 
from  his  great  brain  and  heart  to  yours.'  '  Yes,'  was  the 
answer,  '  and  I  tell  you,  sir,  there  is  not  a  member  of  the 
class  who  does  not  love  him.'  '  Has  anybody  told  him 
that  ? '  '  Oh,  no,'  was  the  reply,  '  not  one  of  us  would  dare 
to  tell  him.'  '  Then  I  will.  He  ought  to  know.'  I  told 
him,  as  we  walked  up  the  hill  together.  The  tears  in  his 
eyes,  the  quiver  in  his  voice,  the  pleased  look  that  played 
a  moment  over  his  weary,  hungry  face  revealed  his  deep 
pleasure  in  the  tidings  I  had  brought.  He  had  a  great 
heart,  though  its  expression  in  any  ordinary  way  had  been 
diligently  suppressed  during  most  of  his  public  life." 

One  experience  of  President  Robinson  illustrated  well 
the  virtues  of  advertising.  There  are  many  still  living  in 
Providence  who  will  recollect  it,  for  the  incident  was 
much  commented  upon  at  the  time.  It  was  all  the  result 
of  a  small  advertisement  in  a  somewhat  obscure  position 
in  the  Providence  Journal. 

President  Robinson,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  a  man 
of  large  frame,  rather  spare  and  with  a  dignified  bearing. 
He  occupied  the  old  president's  house,  later  used  as  a  col- 
lege refectory,  at  the  head  of  College  street.  Very  early 
one  morning  he  was  awakened  by  the  barking  and  yelp- 


Memories  of  Bro-nm  4 1 1 

ing-  of  dogs  outside.  This  continued  with  increasing  ve- 
hemence, but  he  thought  Httle  about  it  at  first,  although 
the  noise  began  finally  to  annoy  him.  While  dressing  he 
heard  the  door-bell  ring,  and  received  word  that  a  man 
with  several  dogs  said  that  he  had  been  sent  for  by  Presi- 
dent Robinson,  who  had  expressed  a  desire  to  purchase 
two  fine  dogs.  The  animals  were  in  the  hall  awaiting  his 
inspection.  As  the  dogs  began  to  make  a  disturbance 
the  doctor  hurried  down  stairs. 

"Are  these  all  right?  "  asked  the  man  holding  forward 
two  of  the  yelping  canines.  "  Will  these  do  ? "  The 
president  did  not  know  what  the  man  meant.  He 
thoroughly  disliked  dogs  at  that  particular  moment,  and 
was  in  no  mood  to  welcome  the  two  growling  curs  snif^ng 
about  his  heels. 

Straightening  his  form,  he  asked  with  impressive  dig- 
nity, "  What  do  you  mean,  sir.?  " 

"  Why,  here  are  the  dogs,"  answered  the  man ;  "  the 
dogs  you  wanted." 

"  I  do  not  care  for  dogs,  sir.  What  do  you  mean  by 
bringing  them  to  my  house  }  " 

"  I  brought  them  in  answer  to  this  advertisement,"  said 
the  man.  "  Maybe  you  didn't  put  this  advertisement  in 
the  Journal  this  morning,  asking  for  dogs  to  this  address. 
You're  president  of  Brown  University,  ain't  you?"  he 
asked  with  sudden  suspicion. 

"  I  am,"  answered  Dr.  Robinson,  growing  more  dignified, 
every  moment,  as  he  thought  of  the  young  men  under  his 
charge,  and  of  the  mischief  of  which  they  were  capable,  if 
given  the  opportunity. 

"  Well,"  said  the  man  with  the  dogs,  "  How  about  it? 
Do  you  want  them  dogs,  or  don't  you  ?  " 

"  No  sir,"  said  the  president,  "  I  do  not  wish  to  have 
those  dogs.  I  did  not  put  in  the  advertisement,  to  which 
my  name  appears  signed,  and  I  do  not  know  who  did  put 


412 


Memories  of  Brown 


it  in.  I  would  very  much  like  to  know  who  did  and  I 
propose  to  ascertain,  if  possible.  I  regret  that  you  have 
been  caused  trouble  and  misunderstanding  by  some  prac- 
tical joker,  and  I  wish  you  a  very  good  day,  sir." 


^m 


Professor  Albert  Harkness,  1842 


But  that  did  not  end  it.  Before  the  man  had  left  the 
house,  another,  holding  a  number  of  dogs,  was  on  the 
front  porch,  and  so  it  went,  all  day  long.  More  than  one 
hundred  dogs  of  all  breeds  and  colors  were  brought  there. 


Memories  of  Brown  413 

and  before  night  President  Robinson  almost  wished  the 
Journal  had  never  been  published.  I  do  not  remember 
that  the  perpetrator  of  the  jest  was  ever  discovered  by  the 
irate  president. 

A  young  man  who  had  a  very  high  opinion  of  his 
ability  came  to  Brown  and  took  the  entrance  examination 
in  Latin.  A  few  days  later  he  met  Professor  Lincoln  on 
the  campus  and  said,  "  Well,  Professor  did  I  pass  the  ex- 
amination ?  "  The  abruptness  of  the  question  so  surprised 
the  professor  that  he  involuntarily  replied  "  Yes  "  and  then 
added,  "  What  is  your  name  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  A.,"  said  the  young  man,  "  I  knew  I  would 
pass,  for  I  mastered  Latin  in  six  months." 

"  Well,"  exclaimed  Professor  Lincoln,  "  I  am  glad  you 
told  me,  for  you  have  not  had  suiificient  preparation  to 
enter  college  work,  and  I  will  see  that  your  name  is  not 
on  the  list  of  the  entering  class." 

During  a  recitation  conducted  by  Professor  Lincoln,  a 
student  while  reciting  became  very  much  interested  in 
something  going  on  outside  of  the  classroom,  and  in 
order  to  see  to  better  advantage  he  leaned  out  of  the  win- 
dow. On  looking  around  the  room  again  he  was  sur- 
prised to  find  every  eye  in  the  room  fixed  upon  him,  and 
everyone,  including  the  professor,  laughing  at  him. 

"Well,  Mr.  B.,  what  is  it.?"  inquired  Professor  Lincoln. 

"  Oh,  nothing,  except  Barnum's  circus  is  passing,"  re- 
plied the  student. 

"  Then,  perhaps,  I  had  better  dismiss  the  class,"  said 
the  professor ;  and  he  did. 

One  day  while  the  students  were  entering  Professor 
Lincoln's  classroom  they  brought  in  a  small  dog.  There 
were  several  empty  chairs  in  the  room,  and  the  dog  being 
well  trained  helped  himself  to  one  of  the  chairs.  The 
professor  proceeded  to  call  the  roll  as  usual  and  when  he 


414  Memories  of  Brown 

came  to  the  last  one  he  remarked,  "  Gentlemen,  there  is 
one  more  puppy,  and  if  you  will  conduct  yourselves  as 
orderly  as  this  one  you  will  have  nothing  to  fear." 

Professor  Harkness  was  hardly  of  middle  height,  but  a 
trifle  taller  than  Professor  Lincoln,  and  somewhat  slower 
in  his  movements.  He  was  always  polite  and  pleasant  in 
his  manner.  One  peculiarity  which  characterized  his 
everyday  manner  more  than  another  was  when  a  discus- 
sion arose  between  members  of  the  class.  Then  he 
would  invariably  raise  his  hand,  remove  his  glasses  and 
with  a  genial  smile  remark,  "  Well,  what  does  the  class 
think  about  it?  " 

During  a  recitation  in  Greek  the  professor  was  explain- 
ing some  part  of  the  text,  when  a  student  said,  "  I  don't 
agree  with  you,  professor ;   I  think  it  means  so  and  so," 

"  Well,"  said  the  professor,  after  regarding  the  young 
man  attentively  a  moment  or  two,  "  You  may  be  right,  I 
may  not  know  Greek,  but  the  corporation  pays  me  to 
teach  Greek ;  I  have  been  teaching  it  for  thirty  years  or 
more,  and  I  supposed  I  knew  something  about  the  sub- 
ject. Mr.  B.,  it  will  be  necessary  for  you  to  see  the  presi- 
dent before  you  can  proceed  in  this  class."  The  student, 
who  had  felt  a  growing  desire  to  sink  through  the  floor, 
humbly  and  noiselessly  made  his  way  to  the  door. 

Along  in  the  seventies  it  was  customary  at  the  close  of 
the  chapel  exercises  for  each  professor  to  march  at  the 
head  of  his  class  to  the  recitation-room.  One  day  the 
freshmen  carried  out  a  well-laid  plan  for  playing  a  joke  on 
Professor  Clarke,  which  they  hoped  would  result  in  their 
securing  a  "  cut."  During  the  time  the  chapel  exercises 
were  going  on  a  few  of  the  freshmen,  who  had  previously 
been  chosen  for  the  task,  carefully  filled  the  keyhole  to 
the  door  of  Professor  Clarke's  recitation-room,  so  that  the 
lock  could  not  be  turned.     Unfortunately  for  the  success 


UNIVEK&i 

OF 

Memories  of  Brown  415 

of  their  scheme,  those  who  had  filled  the  keyhole,  together 
with  the  members  of  the  sophomore  class  who  were  in 
the  secret  of  the  joke  and  were  proceeding  to  their 
recitation  on  the  floor  above,  remained  in  the  hallway  to 
see  the  discomfiture  of  the  professor.  This  was  a  mistake, 
for  as  soon  as  Professor  Clarke  approached  the  door  and 
saw  them  standing  there,  he  took  in  the  situation  at  a 
glance  and  correctly  surmising  that  the  door  could  not  be 
unlocked  he  did  not  attempt  to  unlock  it,  or  even  send  for 
the  steward,  but  without  a  moment's  hesition  raised  his 
foot  and  sent  the  door  flying  open.  The  students  then 
meekly  followed  the  professor  into  the  room,  their  chance 
for  a  "  cut "  and  their  well-planned  joke  having  been  frus- 
trated by  the  ready  intuition  and  prompt  action  of  their 
intended  victim. 

Professor  Bancroft  walked  in  a  very  erect  manner,  head 
well  up  and  somewhat  thrown  back.  This  carriage  of  his 
body,  together  with  his  cleanly  shaved  chin  and  flowing 
side-whiskers  well  spread  out,  presented  a  unique  and 
well-defined  aspect  as  his  head  appeared  above  the  brow 
of  the  hill  ascending  College  street  and  approaching  the 
campus.  This  aspect  was  not  misleading.  It  was  a 
human  landmark  of  College-street  life.  It  was  impossible 
at  any  distance  to  assign  that  head  to  any  one  else.  Un- 
questionably it  belonged  to  Bancroft,  the  fastidious,  the 
neat,  the  precise,  the  carefully  spoken  professor  of  rheto- 
ric and  oratory.  This  bearing  was  entirely  natural  to  the 
man ;  there  was  no  affectation  whatever  in  any  one  of 
these  individualities  which  distinguished  him. 

Professor  Bancroft's  rehearsals  in  the  classes  in  elocu- 
tion and  oratory  were  very  attractive,  especially  to  those 
who  had  only  to  listen.  It  was  customary  for  the  student 
to  stand  upon  the  platform  and  recite,  while  the  professor 
sat  at  a  distance  at  one  end  of  the  room.     His  favorite 


416 


Mi 


emories 


of  Bro 


wn 


exercise  was  the  following  quotation,  which  I  have  often 
heard.  The  student  would  slowly  raise  his  arms  to  their 
full  extent,  then  pause  a  moment,  and  slowly  dropping 
them  would  at  the  same  time  repeat  these  words  with 
much  energy:  "  Living,  we  shall  be  victorious;  or,  dying, 


Reuben  Aldridge  Guild,  1847.     University  Librarian,  1848-93 
(Taken  about  1887) 


our  death  will  be  glorious."     Often  these  words  could  be 
heard  over  the  entire  building. 

One  of  the  men  who  added  much  of  character  to  the 
university  and  seemed  as  much  of  the  college  as  Univer- 
sity Hall  itself,  was  the  librarian,  Reuben  Aldridge  Guild, 
whom  I  soon  came  to  know  most  thoroughly  and  whose 
friendship  was  outspoken  and  unfailing.     Dr.  Guild  had 


M.emo?^ics  of  Brown  4 1 7 

been  Brown's  librarian  for  upwards  of  twenty-five  years 
when  I  first  came  to  know  him,  and  I  soon  observed  the 
hvely  interest  he  manifested  in  the  students  who  were  en- 
gaged in  searching  for  books  or  pamphlets.  He  appeared 
only  too  glad  to  assist  them,  and  gave  one  the  impression 
that  nothing  pleased  him  better  than  to  aid  in  the  search. 
He  had  a  very  pleasing  social  disposition  and  was  kindly 
and  genial  to  all.  He  appeared  uncommonly  glad  to 
greet  returning  graduates,  and  upon  their  taking  leave  he 
would  frequently,  with  bared  head,  accompany  them  down 
the  long  flight  of  steps  to  the  sidewalk.  When  the  new 
library  building  was  dedicated  in  1878,  Mr.  Guild  with 
Professor  Diman  and  his  assistant,  Mr.  Daniel  Beckwith, 
all  with  heads  uncovered,  in  formal  solemn  procession 
carried  a  superb  and  rare  edition  of  the  Polyglot  Bible 
from  the  old  library  in  Manning  Hall  to  the  new  building, 
and  placed  it  as  book  number  one,  referring  to  it  as  "  The 
book  of  books,  the  embodiment  of  true  wisdom  and  the 
fountain-head  of  real  culture,  civilization  and  moral  im- 
provement." 

The  very  arduous  work  of  classifying  and  cataloguing 
the  48,000  volumes  in  the  new  structure  was  accomplished 
almost  entirely  by  Dr.  Guild  himself.  He  designed  and 
brought  to  great  perfection  a  card  catalogue,  by  means  of 
which  he  could  at  once  turn  to  any  book  desired.  At  the 
time  of  the  construction  of  the  new  building  he  devoted 
considerable  time  to  examining  European  libraries,  both 
for  their  constructive  features  and  for  their  methods  of 
cataloguing.  His  method  was  so  far  in  advance  of  the 
time  that  he  justly  felt  proud  of  his  achievement.  His 
services  as  librarian  and  librarian  emeritus  covered  more 
than  fifty  years  of  the  university's  life. 

Before  Dr.  Andrews  became  president  and  while  he 
was  serving  the  college  as  professor  of  history  and  politi- 


4!8  Memories  of  B. 


rown 


cal  economy,  an  incident  occurred  which  impressed  itself 
strongly  upon  my  mind  by  reason  of  its  being  of  an  extra- 
ordinary character  and  containing  a  call  to  service  very 
different  from  that  which  I  had  been  accustomed  to  per- 
form. One  day  while  Professor  Andrews  was  conducting 
a  written  examination  in  Manning  Hall,  I  chanced  to 
pass  the  window  of  the  classroom  as  I  was  about  my 
usual  employment,  when  he  opened  a  window  and  asked 
me  to  find  a  professor  to  take  his  class  during  the  exami- 
nation, for  he  was  suddenly  called  away  from  the  city  by 
a  telegram,  and  it  was  imperative  that  he  should  at  once 
leave.  I  replied  that  all  the  instructors  at  that  hour  were 
engaged  with  their  classes.  He  then  astonished  me  with 
the  request  that  I  at  once  come  in  and  occupy  his  chair, 
conducting  the  written  examination  to  its  conclusion. 
In  view  of  the  emergency  I  promptly  acceded,  although  I 
never  before  had  heard  of  one  being  called  to  conduct  a 
college  examination  whose  only  requirements  upon  enter- 
ing had  been  the  knowledge  of  how  to  make  an  indiffer- 
ent bed  and  to  raise  the  dust  generally.  With  much  un- 
certainty I  took  my  seat  and  at  the  same  time  Professor 
Andrews  said  to  the  class:  "I  am  immediately  called 
away  and  I  have  the  utmost  confidence  in  your  integrity 
during  the  remainder  of  the  examination."  The  stihness 
during  the  two  long  hours  that  I  sat  there  was  most  op- 
pressive. The  confidence  Dr.  Andrews  placed  in  the 
class  w^as  not  forfeited.  At  the  close  of  the  examination 
each  student  walked  up  to  the  desk  where  I  sat,  and  with 
a  half  smile  quietly  handed  me  his  paper  and  walked  out. 
In  1889  at  the  alumni  dinner  one  of  the  greatest  ova- 
tions ever  witnessed  at  the  after-dinner  speeches  occurred 
when  E.  Benjamin  Andrews  was  named  for  president  of 
the  college.  All  the  alumni  sprang  to  their  feet,  some 
even  stood  upon  the  tables,  sending  their  hats  high  up  in 
air,  dishes  fell  to  the  floor  and  broke  in  pieces,  and  cheer 


Memories  of  Brow?i  419 

after  cheer  continued  until  it  was  with  great  difficulty 
that  President  Robinson  was  able  to  maintain  order  long 
enough  to  sing  the  closing  hymn.  At  the  close  there  was 
an  informal  gathering  held  in  the  faculty-room  to  arrange 
for  a  meeting  of  the  trustees  to  formulate  a  call.  It  was 
manifest  that  beyond  a  doubt  Dr.  Andrews  was  the  unan- 
imous choice  of  the  alumni. 

This  profound  regard  and  esteem  of  both  students  and 
alumni  were  exhibited  throughout  all  his  administration 
and  were  shown  to  be  undiminished  when  he  returned 
from  Nebraska  to  address  the  school-teachers'  convention 
of  New  England,  held  in  Infantry  Hall  years  later.  Then 
nearly  the  whole  college  was  present.  All  the  standing 
room  was  occupied  long  before  the  hour  arrived.  When 
he  came  on  the  platform  all  in  the  body  of  the  hall  arose  and 
greeted  him  with  tremendous  and  long-continued  ap- 
plause, so  that  he  was  compelled  to  beckon  to  the  audi- 
ence to  be  seated  before  he  could  proceed  with  his  ad- 
dress. It  is  safe  to  say  that  in  the  history  of  the  college 
there  never  was  a  greater  demonstration  given  to  any  one 
alumnus.  Hundreds  of  people  were  unable  to  enter  the 
hall.  At  the  close  of  the  exercises  and  upon  the  return 
of  the  procession  to  the  college  campus.  College  street  for 
its  entire  length  was  packed  with  enthusiastic  spectators, 
and  fireworks  lighted  up  the  beautiful  arched  elms,  mak- 
ing a  never-to-be-forgotton  sight. 

Anthony  McCabe. 


420  Memories  of  B 


rown 


Bell  and   Bonfire 


WE  never  knew  exactly  how  it  happened.  Sud- 
denly, at  midnight,  the  wild  clanging  of  the  bell 
brought  us  all  to  the  windows.  Wonderment 
stood  upon  the  faces  of  all  except  the  conspira- 
tors. We  learned  from  subsequent  events  that  certain 
prominent  individuals  were  involved,  viz.,  Ezekiel  G., 
"  Stinger  "  Simmons,  and  his  boon  companion,  Charlie 
Farnsworth,  other  unimportant  individuals,  and  last  but 
not  least,  his  lordship,  Delaney,  the  steward.  Meanwhile 
the  bell  kept  pealing.  Nobody  seemed  to  know  how  it 
rang.  Against  the  dark  outline  of  the  sky  could  be  dis- 
cerned the  still  darker  outline  of  the  belfry  on  University 
Hall,  with  the  bell  tongue  swinging  back  and  forth  as 
though  driven  by  invisible  demons  of  the  nether  regions. 
Obviously  no  human  hand  was  touching  the  bell.  Ob- 
viously, too,  as  Delaney  discovered  after  rushing  up  to  the 
top  story,  the  door  leading  to  the  belfry  had  not  been  tam- 
pered with.  And  still  the  bell  kept  ringing.  The  un- 
lighted  corridors  of  University  Hall  were  filled  with 
flitting,  white-clad  figures,  who  added  to  the  uproar  by 
various  ejaculations  of  mingled  wonder,  mirth  and  ex- 
ultation. 

What  could  it  all  mean  ?  Even  Ezekiel's  tranquil  mind 
became  finally  disturbed.  Quoth  he, ''  My  sturdy  hench- 
man, Delaney,  is  derelict  in  his  duty ;  forsooth,  since  he 
cannot  quell  this  horrid  tumult,  it  is  up  to  me  !  "  Hastily 
clothing  his  gaunt  stature  in  his  ordinary  black  raiment, 
our  honored    and  yet   dreaded  president    hastily  strode 


Memories  oj  Brown  421 

across  the  campus,  entered  the  south  door  of  University 
Hall,  and  hurried  up  three  flights  with  the  agility  of  a 
schoolboy.  He  was  upon  the  rejoicing  students  before 
they  were  aware,  and  surprising  was  the  rapidity  with 
which  they  vanished  away  at  his  quiet  yet  stern  admoni- 
tion to  betake  themselves  to  their  rooms.  The  bell 
chimed  merrily  all  the  while,  but  sleuth  Delaney,  trained 
to  expert  and  intuitive  investigation  by  many  years  of 
contact  with  tricky  students,  was  hot  upon  the  trail. 
Urged  on  by  the  presence  of  the  greater  mind,  he  finally 
ascended  the  interior  of  the  belfry  tower  and  was  not  long 
in  discovering  the  cause  of  the  midnight  acclamation. 
A  stout  rope  around  the  tongue  of  the  bell  gave  him  the 
clue.  The  conspirators  in  a  room  at  the  other  end  of  the 
rope,  sharply  on  the  alert,  quickly  discovered  that  their 
ruse  had  been  detected.  Nothing  was  left  to  be  done  ex- 
cept to  cut  the  rope  and  thereby  efface  the  source  of  the 
noise-producing  power.  The  ringing  stopped  immedi- 
ately, the  students  dispersed  to  their  rooms;  "  Prexy"  re- 
turned to  bed,  restored  to  his  usual  lofty  tranquility, 
and  Delaney,  carefully  preserving  the  cut  rope,  followed 
suit. 

"  All 's  well  that  ends  well "  is  no  less  true  than  "  All 's 
wTong  that  ends  wrong."  The  latter  adage  became  pain- 
fully evident  within  the  next  few  days.  Like  a  hound  fol- 
lowing up  the  trail  of  a  guilty  roost-robbing  fox,  Delaney 
speedily  discovered  that  the  rope  had  been  purchased  at 
the  hardware  store  of  Congdon,  Carpenter  &  Co.,  on 
North  Main  street.  The  purchaser  was  easily  identified, 
and  "Stinger"  Simmons  was  politely  requested  to  hold 
a  private  conference  in  President  Robinson's  office.  Be- 
ing confronted  with  the  unmistakable  proofs  of  his  roguery, 
the  student  frankly  confessed  that  he  was  the  purchaser 
of  the  rope  and  had  taken  active  part  in  the  clandestine 
event.     He  was  immediately  suspended  from  college. 


422  Memories  of  B 


rown 


His  fellow-students  in  the  class  of  '89  felt  that  Simmons 
was  suffering  a  vicarious  punishment,  because  others 
were  equally  responsible.  The  day  after  the  suspension, 
in  class  meeting,  they  voted  to  withdraw  from  participa- 
tion in  morning  prayers  in  Manning  Hall,  until  justice 
was  done  to  their  suffering  classmate.  So  the  next  morn- 
ing, "  Prexy"  prayed  to  empty  seats,  so  far  as  '89  was  con- 
cerned. Frightened  at  their  own  temerity,  several  of  the 
devotion-cutting  class  hung  around  in  the  reading-room 
at  the  north  end  of  University  Hall  until  prayers  were 
over.  Some  of  the  college  professors  were  accustomed, 
on  the  w^ay  to  their  classrooms,  to  pass  between  Manning 
Hall  and  University  Hall.  Professor  Lincoln  was  among 
these,  and  as  he  passed  the  windows  and  looked  in,  he  saw 
the  culprits.  Students  in  that  group  will  never  forget  the 
impressive  and  indignant  manner  with  which  Professor 
Lincoln  fixed  his  eye-glasses  and  glared  through  the  win- 
dows at  the  offenders.  That  day  he  remonstrated  pri- 
vately with  several  prominent  members  of  the  class  to 
such  good  result  that  the  following  morning  '89  was  fully 
represented  in  chapel. 

Little  were  they  aware  of  the  fate  yet  before  them.  In- 
stead of  passing  out  in  their  usual  order,  they  were  forced  to 
remain  behind  until  the  other  classes  had  departed.  Then, 
after  an  impressive  interval,  Ezekiel  arose.  It  seemed 
as  though  he  would  never  stop  rising.  He  looked  like  a 
giant  avenger  come  to  vent  his  wrath  upon  several  gene- 
rations of  erring  students.  Tall  in  his  usual  aspect,  his 
height  now  ascended  nearly  to  the  ceiling.  Throwing 
back  his  shoulders  and  putting  both  hands  into  his  trousers 
pockets,  he  glared  from  beneath  his  bushy  eyebrows,  from 
eyes  that  ejected  Jove's  thunderbolts.  Quoth  he,  in  sub- 
stance, "  Your  classmate  was  guilty  of  a  serious  offence 
against  the  peace,  dignity  and  quietude  of  the  campus 
and  of  the  surrounding  community.     For  his  honesty  in 


Memories  of  Brown  423 

acknowledging  his  offence,  I  give  him  full  credit.  But 
there  were  others  connected  with  the  same  offence,  and 
these  are  acting  dishonorably  by  allowing  one  man  to 
suffer  for  all.  The  class  is  acting  wrongly  in  attempting 
to  show,  in  such  manner,  their  dislike  of  one  man's  pun- 
ishment. I  intend  to  settle  this  matter  up  at  once.  I 
wish  to  have  a  guarantee  from  you  that  hereafter  you  will 
conform  to  the  laws  and  usages  of  this  university.  I  com- 
mand every  one  of  you  who  intends  to  abide  by  lawful 
regulations  to  rise  immediately."  Struck  with  astonish- 
ment, the  class  remained  seated  in  silence.  "  Up,  up,  all 
of  you  ! "  quoth  the  master.  The  class  rose  like  a  flock  of 
sheep  obeying  the  dictates  of  some  stern  but  careful 
shepherd.  Even  George  Warren,  the  recalcitrant,  who 
had  been  urging,  in  violent  whispers,  the  boys  to  remain 
seated,  finally  gave  way  to  the  overpowering  mesmerism 
of  the  black-garbed  giant  before  him,  and  stood  up  with 
the  rest. 

Partially  appeased  by  the  success  of  his  manoeuvre, 
"  Prexy  "  dismissed  the  class,  who  departed  sad,  subdued 
and  docile.  "  Stinger"  Simmons  was  soon  after  reinstated 
in  college,  and  the  episode  closed.  Whether  the  other 
culprits  confessed  their  part  to  the  president  is  a  matter 
of  some  doubt.  This  most  important  question,  however, 
gave  the  class  no  concern.  All  they  cared  for  was  the 
restoration  of  their  suspended  classmate.  Thus  began, 
progressed  and  eventuated  the  most  dramatic  episode  in 
the  history  of  the  class  of  '89. 

Aligns  his  T.  Swi/l,  iS8g. 


424 


Mi 


em  ones  o 


.fB 


rown 


Rushes,  Fires  and  Signs 


ACK  in   1886,  under  the  administration 
of    President   Robinson,  the   freshmen 
had  a  number  of  clashes  with  the  sopho- 
mores  after  a  fiercely   contested   ball 
rush    at    the    Messer-street    grounds, 
which    resulted   in   a  tie.     There   ex- 
isted between  these  classes  from 
the  beginning  a  state  of  hostility 
which     manifested     itself     upon 
every  possible  occasion. 

Soon  after  this  hard-fought 
football  contest  a  banner  was  sus- 
pended from  one  of  the  windows 
of  Hope  College  upon  which  were  pictured  two  bulls,  one 
with  head  well  elevated,  indicating  victory;  the  other  fall- 
en in  defeat  and  lying  in  the  dust.  Upon  the  vanquished 
bull  were  painted  in  vivid  red  the  figures  "  '89,"  while 
upon  the  victor  was  inscribed  "  '90." 

This  banner  so  publicly  displayed  was  plainly  an  invi- 
tation to  the  livliest  sort  of  scrap.  No  warm-blooded 
sophomore  would  ever  permit  a  banner  so  destructive  to 
his  peace  of  mind  long  to  remain  unfurled.  The  class  at 
once  assembled  and  with  equal  promptness  planned  an 
assault.  Regardless  of  all  personal  consequences  of 
crushed  hats  or  damaged  chins  they  rushed  to  the  charge 
with  the  utmost  vigor  and  boldness.  The  freshmen  were 
looking  for  the  assault  and  held  themselves  in  readiness 
to  respond  to  the  first  alarm,  and  fought  with  great  perti- 


Memories  of  Brown  425 

nacity  to  retain  in  position  this  symbol  of  victory.  But 
the  onslaught  of  the  sophomores  was  too  vigorous  and 
well  sustained  to  meet  with  defeat.  No  amount  of  oppo- 
sition would  prevent  them  securing  the  banner  which 
flaunted  so  defiantly  in  their  very  eyes.  In  a  few 
moments  it  was  reached  and  torn  to  shreds. 

The  warm  blood  of  both  classes  by  this  time  was  cours- 
ing through  their  veins  and  all  were  ready  to  continue 
the  struggle  with  but  slight  provocation.  A  portiere  rod 
was  thrown  from  the  window  from  which  floated  the 
hated  banner;  this  became  the  signal  for  a  cane  rush 
which  was  fought  over  with  equal  persistence  from  be- 
neath the  windows  of  Hope  down  along  the  walks  to  Uni- 
versity Hall  before  the  rod  was  finally  broken  into  many 
pieces. 

A  student  who  was  delinquent  in  his  studies  and  was 
just  returning  from  an  interview  with  the  president  in  his 
office  in  University  Hall  came  upon  the  rush  just  at  its 
height.  He  loved  nothing  better  than  a  fracas  of  this 
character  and  with  much  energy  precipitated  himself  into 
the  struggle.  This  student  was  very  near-sighted  and  did 
not  observe  the  approach  of  the  president,  who  had  come 
upon  the  scene  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  commotion  and 
at  once  proceeded  to  restore  order.  He  grasped  the  first 
young  man  he  came  to,  who  proved  to  be  the  delinquent. 
By  reason  of  his  poor  vision,  combined  with  the  excitement 
of  the  rush,  he  failed  to  recognize  the  president,  and  believ- 
ing him  to  be  one  of  the  opposing  forces  fiercely  struggled 
to  throw  his  venerable  opponent  to  the  ground.  The  doc- 
tor, panting  for  breath,  said,  "  Young  man ! "  which 
brought  him  up  with  a  severe  mental  jar,  realizing  the 
critical  position  in  which  he  was  placed.  Quickly  releas- 
ing his  grasp,  he  permitted  the  president  to  assume  his 
wonted  dignity. 

Grasping  the  young  man  by  the  ear  (and,  as  the  doctor 


426  Memories  of  Brown 

was  tall  and  the  student  of  lesser  height,  the  latter  was 
obliged  to  walk  upon  his  toes),  the  president  led  the  of- 
fender into  his  of^ce,  which  they  had  so  recently  left.  It 
is  needless  to  add  that  as  soon  as  the  president  was  recog- 
nized both  classes  took  to  their  heels ;  but  their  haste  did 
not  prevent  vociferous  hilarity  over  the  unfortunate  plight 
of  the  delinquent  student,  as  he  was  led  ignominiously 
away. 

One  night  a  mattress  was  well  saturated  with  oil  and 
thrown  all  ablaze  from  a  window  in  Hope  College,  so  en- 
dangering the  venerable  structure  that  the  edict  went 
forth  that  there  were  to  be  no  more  fires,  and  anyone 
detected  in  this  pastime  would  be  summarily  dealt  with. 
Notwithstanding  this,  a  few  of  the  bolder  students  com- 
bined and  bought  an  old  covered  express-wagon  in  a 
nearby  city  and  filled  it  with  combustibles. 

The  police  had  been  instructed  to  keep  a  close  watch 
upon  all  entrances  to  the  campus  and  to  arrest  any- 
one seen  bringing  in  firewood.  As  the  covered  team 
came  through  the  gate  upon  the  campus  long  after  night- 
fall the  driver  told  the  officer  whom  he  met  that  he  had  a 
trunk  to  deliver.  Driving  over  near  Sayles  Hall  he 
thoroughly  soaked  both  the  wagon  and  its  contents  with 
a  large  amount  of  kerosene  oil  that  he  had  concealed 
within,  then  unhitching  his  horse  he  applied  the  match 
and  quickly  led  his  beast  out  through  the  gate  into 
George  street.  The  boys  had  very  thoughtfully  driven 
corks  into  all  water  faucets.  The  fire  assumed  great 
proportions  with  rapidity.  The  "slaves"  quickly  gathered 
and  formed  a  bucket  brigade,  but  the  water  refused  to 
flow,  and  amid  the  derisive  shouts  of  the  students  the 
fiame  mounted  into  the  branches  of  the  large  elm  in  front 
of  Sayles  Hall  and  finally  burned  itself  out. 


Memories  of  Brow7i  All 

Souvenir-collecting  is  and  always  has  been  a  peculiar 
fad  of  college  students,  and  the  merchants  of  Providence 
and  nearby  cities  are  well  aware  of  this  fact  as  far  as 
Brown  is  concerned.  Certain  students  had  an  avaricious 
eye  on  several  of  the  large  clocks  or  watches  such  as  were 
used  for  advertising  purposes  and  were  attached  to  the  awn- 
ing supports  in  front  of  jewelry  and  watch  repairing  stores. 
The  blizzard  of  1888  presented  an  exceptional  oppor" 
tunity  to  accomplish  w^hat  had  seemed  an  impossibility 
as  the  owners  had  taken  special  precaution  to  have  their 
property  well  secured  and  firmly  fastened  in  view  of  just 
such  pranks. 

During  this  storm  of  uncommon  severity  everyone  had 
vanished  from  sight  and  the  streets  were  as  devoid  of  life 
as  Pompeii  is  to-day.  The  oiificers  of  the  law  were  either 
concealed  in  protecting  doorways  or  even  better  sheltered 
in  warm  places  that  they  alone  were  aware  of  and  kept  in 
reserve.  There  was  no  danger  of  discovery  upon  a 
night  like  this.  All  that  was  needed  was  to  force  down 
the  awning  rods  and  easily  detach  the  coveted  prizes. 
Their  number  was  limited  only  by  the  strength  of  the 
students  in  bearing  them  away.  These  relics  were 
wrapped  in  newspapers,  taken  up  to  the  college  and 
concealed  under  the  steward's  work-bench  and  well 
covered  with  shavings. 

Upon  the  return  to  their  places  of  business  the  follow- 
ing morning  the  proprietors  found  these  emblems  of  their 
industry  missing.  Upon  closer  inspection  the  bent  and 
broken  awming  rods  were  discovered.  In  view  of  the 
well-known  collecting  habits  of  Brown  men,  suspicion  was 
at  once  directed  towards  them.  Complaint  was  promptly 
made  and  the  search  of^cially  begun.  Closets  were  ran- 
sacked, mattresses  lifted  off  the  beds,  chimney  flues 
peeped  into  and  every  suspected  spot,  possible  and  im- 
possible as  a  hiding    place   for  the  missing  signs,   was 


428 


Memories  of  Brown 


thoroughly  searched,  but  no  clocks  were  found.  Ap- 
parently none  of  the  searchers  were  suf^ciently  brilliant 
to  imagine  that  the  lost  articles  were  concealed  in  the 
headquarters  of  the  steward  himself.  After  the  young 
men  had  graduated  and  each  had  received  his  coveted  de- 
gree, these  mementoes  of  the  youthful  exuberance  of  un- 


Brown   Union 
(Rockefeller  Hall) 


derclassmen  were  returned  to  their  rightful  owners  by  the 
purloiners. 

Fred  Hovey  of  the  class  of  1890  (afterwards  the  na- 
tional champion  at  Newport)  was  in  the  tennis  tourna- 
ment at  New  Haven  and  word  was  telegraphed  to  the 


Memories  of  Brown  429 

students  of  Brown  of  the  great  contest  and  the  victori- 
ous result.  They  soon  assembled  and  started  down  the 
hill  accompanied  by  horns  and  the  college  band,  to  the 
station  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  midnight  train  from 
New  Haven.  President  Andrews  was  rudely  awakened 
from  sleep  by  this  commotion,  which  he  plainly  recog- 
nized as  proceeding  from  a  great  and  enthusiastic  assem- 
blage of  students.  Hastily  dressing  and  appearing  at  his 
door,  he  inquired  what  the  confusion  w^as  all  about. 
"You  had  better  all  disperse  to  your  rooms  and  prepare 
your  lessons  for  to-morrow,"  he  said.  When  informed  of 
the  great  achievement,  so  creditable  to  the  skill  of  the  col- 
lege representative,  he  laughed  and  remarked,  "  Well,  it  is 
glorious  news,"  and  retired  into  the  house. 

One  day  in  the  classroom  a  student  who  was  well- 
known  by  the  college  authorities  to  be  a  mischief-maker 
and  who  made  use  of  every  opportunity  to  create  disturb- 
ances asked  President  Andrews,  "  Now,  doctor,  as  re- 
gards the  Ego :  how  am  I  to  know  that  it  is  I  myself  who 
am  sitting  here  in  this  chair?"  The  doctor  looked  at 
him  for  a  moment  and  then  remarked,  "  Well  Mr.  B., 
whej'c  zvere  yoti  last  night  ?  "  "  In  my  own  bed  at  home," 
replied  Mr.  B.  "  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  the  presi- 
dent. 

Another  time  in  ethics  Mr.  J.,  having  asked  the  doctor 
what  he  thought  about  a  certain  proposition,  and  having 
tried  to  explain  his  own  views  in  a  long  and  intricate  ar- 
gument, the  president  replied,  "Well,  if  I  understand 
what  you  are  talking  about,  I  should  say  Yes  —  No." 
The  applause  resulting  was  so  vociferous  that  the  doctor 
as  well  as  the  student  indicated  his  embarrassment. 

Jerome  B.  Greene,  i8go. 


430  Memories  of  Brown 


Brown  in  the  Later  Eighties 


WHEN  the  class  of  1890 entered  Brown  in  the  fall  of 
1 886  it  found  the  college  an  institution  of  modest 
externals.  There  was  no  clock  tower  or  Caesar 
Augustus  statue  on  the  front  campus,  no  mem- 
orial fence  or  gates,  no  Rockefeller  Hall,  no  Wilson  Hall, 
no  John  Carter  Brown  Library  on  the  middle  campus, 
no  steam-heating  plant  or  mechanical  laboratory,  no  gym- 
nasium, no  Marcus  Aurelius  statue,  no  Maxcy  Hall, 
no  engineering  building,  no  Caswell  Hall,  no  Bruno- 
nia  Hall,  no  chapter-houses,  no  president's  mansion  on 
Hope  street,  no  Ladd  Observatory,  no  Metcalf  Botanical 
Gardens.  The  college,  in  a  word,  consisted  of  the  library, 
the  five  buildings  of  the  old  front  row,  the  chemical  lab- 
oratory and  Sayles  Hall.  For  our  gymnasium  exercise  we 
had  to  march  ten  parasangs,  more  or  less,  to  A  born  street. 
Lincoln  Field  in  those  days,  unadorned  by  buildings  as 
it  was,  was  a  perpetual  delight.  Andrews  Field  is  more 
spacious  but  grievously  remote.  In  the  late  eighties,  it  was 
not  necessary  to  leave  one's  room  for  the  field  until  the 
exact  hour  for  the  advertised  game  had  arrived.  Then 
you  took  your  window-seat  cushion  under  your  arm  and 
walked  leisurely  to  the  grandstand,  sure  of  a  comfortable 
sitting.  And  if  St.  Stephen's  Church  was  too  close  to 
centrefield,  nobody  within  historic  times  had  ever  seen  a 
batter  bang  a  ball  over  it.  There  was  a  tradition  that  in 
the  prehistoric  past  a  Yale  player  had  accomplished  the 
feat,  but  this  was  a  tradition  as  vague  and  uncertain  as 
the  Homeric  legend. 

None  of  the  buildings  or  rooms  of  the  late  eighties  re- 


Memories  of  Brown  431 

vert  to  mind  with  a  greater  store  of  gracious  memories 
than  the  bare  old  chapel.  If  it  is  true  that  we  prize  what 
costs  us  an  effort,  surely  we  all  prize  Manning  Hall,  for  it 
cost  us  effort,  breath  and  good  digestion  to  compass  its 
interior  on  many  a  hurried  morning. 

Plain  as  that  interior  was,  we  cannot  think  of  it  disso- 
ciated from  cheerful  reminiscence.  The  central  figure 
was  President  Robinson,  tall  and  lean  in  his  lofty  pulpit. 
Over  its  faded  green  fringe  he  hung  like  an  offended  di- 
vinity, swaying  in  rhythm  with  his  utterance,  which  was 
a  strange  commingling  of  the  strong  and  sweet.  Was 
ever  a  greater  dignity  or  severity  in  mortal  frame,  or  a 
livelier  light  in  mortal  eye?  One  frequent  phrase  from 
that  diminutive  boxed-in  pulpit  strikes  soft  on  the  ear  of 
memory  today :  "  Make  Thy  forbearance  win  our  hearts 
to  Thee ! " 

President  Robinson  was  at  the  head  of  the  college  dur- 
ing three  of  the  four  years  of  1890's  life  on  the  hill,  but  I 
do  not  definitely  recall  speaking  with  him.  He  seemed  re- 
mote, a  being  of  a  different  w^orld.  Bela  Carlyle  Clapp  of 
'90  was  called  to  interview  him,  however.  It  was  some- 
thing about  cuts.  "  Young  man,"  said  Dr.  Robinson, 
"You  can't  eat  your  gingerbread  and  have  it  too." 
Clapp's  voice  was  second  bass;  nethermost  and  full.  "I 
believe  I've  heard  that  before,"  he  told  the  president  with 
jovial  acquiescence. 

Professor  Packard  united  extraordinary  biological  at- 
tainments with  extraordinary  indifference  to  discipline. 
It  was  customary  for  men  to  enter  his  recitations  late, 
and  leave  before  the  hour  was  up.  The  most  he  ever  said 
by  way  of  comment  was,  "  Some  are  coming,  some  are  go-  ^ 
ing."  He  gave  oral  instead  of  written  examinations,  as- 
signing a  single  topic  to  each  member  of  the  class.  This 
was  all  right  if  you  happened  to  be  "  up  "  on  the   topic 


432 


Memories  of  Brown 


that  fell   to  you ;   otherwise  it   was  embarrassing.     One 

day  just   before  examination    W came  along.     The 

bell  for  the  hour  had  rung.  "  What's  it  all  about  ? " 
asked  he.  "  I've  been  so  busy  I  haven't  had  time  to  cram 
up  on  this."     "Know  anything  about  snakes?"  I  asked, 


Bicycle  Club,  1887 

From  left  to  right  on  wheels  ;   F.  H.  Brownell,  '88  ;  J.  E.  Bullen,  '90  ;  R.  L.  P.  Mason,  '89  : 

E.  Y.  WooLLEY, '88  ;    L.  C.  Heywood, '90  ;    F.  H.  Briggs,  '89  :    G.  E.  Warren,  '89,  in  tree. 

Standing:    J.  P.  Williams,  '89  ;  F.  H.  Hovey,  '90  :   G.  H.  Crooker,  '87,  Captain  ; 

W.  S.  Pease.  '89  :    F.  H.  Mansfield,  '89  :    E.  T.  Root,  'B9. 


"  No."     "  Well,  here's  what  my  notebook  says.     Listen." 

A  few  minutes  later  Professor  Packard  called  W up. 

"  Mr.  W ,"  he  said,  "you  may  tell  us  what  you  know 

about  snakes."     W made  a  star  recitation,  of  course, 

but  when  the  professor  reached  me  fortune  turned  a  chil- 
lier shoulder. 


Memories  of  Brown  433 

Professor  Bancroft  described  to  us  one  day  in  senior 
year  the  beauties  of  the  EngHsh  sunset.  We  were  read- 
ing the  Idylls  of  the  King,  and  had  come  to  this  line : 

"The  glooming  crimson  on  the  marge." 

"  There,"  he  exclaimed,  putting  down  his  book  and 
taking  off  his  glasses.  "That  is  one  of  the  most  perfect 
descriptions  of  the  English  sunset  in  literature.  '  The 
glooming  crimson  on  the  marge.'  We  don't  have  it  in 
America,  but  I  have  often  seen  the  effect  in  England. 
It's  a  beautiful  line." 

"  But,  Professor,"  spoke  up  a  member  of  the  class, 
"  doesn't  it  say  these  people  had  just  waked  up?  How 
do  you  account  for  that  ?  " 

''  Where,  where,  where  is  that  ?  '  asked  the  professor  in 
great  agitation.  "  Impossible  !  But,  well,  I  declare,  you 
are  right.     I  never  noticed  it  before." 

It  was  an  EngHsh  sunrise. 

One  day  in    Professor    Bancroft's  recitation    Presbrey    ' 
convulsed  the  class.     He  was  telling  about  a  visit  paid  by 
Wycherley  to  Congreve.     "  And  Wycherley,"  he  recited 
in  slow,  impressive  tones    (he,   too,   had   a   second-bass     u 
voice,  and  sang  on  the  glee  club),  "  and  Wycherley  told      U 
Congreve  a  very  funny  story  (pause  for  several  seconds 
—  class  expectant) ;  which  I  have  forgotten."  -^ 

Nobody  has  put  into  this  book,  I  think,  anything  about 
Howard  Malcolm  Ticknor,  but  he  deserves  his  little  niche 
along  with  the  rest.  He  was  our  instructor  in  elocution, 
a  cultured  gentleman  from  Boston  and  Harvard  with  an 
unforgettable  face.  He  had  keen,  restless  eyes,  hair  that 
marvellously  curled,  and  more  than  his  fair  share  of  effec- 
tive sarcasm.  It  was  on  the  first  day  of  June  that  our 
section  of  the  class  was  called  to  meet  him.  He  had 
categorically  barred  all  "  pieces  "  about  "  heroes  "  whose 


434 


Memories  of  Brown 


names  end  in  "  us,"  such  as  Horatius  and  Brutus;  and  I 
had  chosen  for  this  particular  date,  especially  as  I  had 
long  known  it  by  heart,  Lowell's  prelude  to  the  Vision  of 
Sir  Launfal.  It  was  hackneyed,  but  it  was  all  about  June, 
and  I  thought  it  would  go.     It  did,  but  not  as  I  expected. 


Banjo  Club,  1888 
Colby,  '89  Simmons,  '89  Hovey,  '90  Heiser,  '90 

Colby,  '91  Chapin,  '91  Hazard,  '89  Sawyer,  '90 


When  I  had  stepped  down  from  the  little  platform  in  6 
U.  H.  and  gone  to  my  seat,  Instructor  Ticknor  sat  in  por- 
tentous silence  at  the  far  end  of  the  room,  chin  in  hand. 
It  seemed  as  if  he  would  never  say  anything,  but  at  last 
he  began,  amid  a  profound  quiet  and  with  startling  delib- 
eration and  emphasis.     This  was  the  verdict : 


Memories  of  Brown  435 

"Your  taste  in  choosing  that  poem  for  today  was  excel- 
lent ;  but  (and  here  he  made  a  dreadful  pause)  your  enun- 
ciation was  execrable^ 

That  is  all  I  remember  about  I  loward  Malcolm  Tick- 
nor. 

In  those  days  the  college  was  so  small  we  knew  the 
name  of  almost  every  undergraduate  —  his  whole  name, 
as,  for  instance,  Benaiah  Longley  Whitman,  Eli  Whitney 
Blake,  Jr.,  Vernon  Purinton  Squires.  And  yet,  small  as 
it  was,  it  was  sharply  divided  by  secret  society  lines.  A 
fraternity  man  was  under  suspicion  among  his  own  society 
brothers  if  he  kept  company  with  the  members  of  another  . 
fraternity.  It  was  felt  that  one's  own  society  —  we  did 
not  call  them  "frats"in  those  days  —  ought  to  be  good 
enough  for  him.  This  exclusiveness  had  its  disadvan- 
tages, but  its  advantages  also.  There  was  a  strong  family 
feeling  among  the  members  of  a  society  ;  the  chapter-hall 
was  home  in  a  sense  that  no  place  on  the  campus  w^as; 
the  upperclassmen  exercised  a  powerful  and  wholesome 
influence  on  the  younger  men.  I  remember  one  moonlit 
night  when  Crawford,  '87,  walked  me  round  and  round 
the  campus  and  showed  me,  much  against  my  will,  that 
because  of  inter-fraternity  politics,  I  could  not  go  on  the 
Brunonian  board  that  spring.  As  I  look  back,  his  tone 
and  that  of  others  of  the  seniors  in  dealing  with  freshmen 
was  distinctly  paternal.  There  was  nothing  incongruous 
in  it,  to  us,  then,  though  the  three  years  that  separated 
the  two  classes  seem  a  trivial  interval  now. 

There  was  a  breaking-down  of  fraternity  barriers  in 
senior  year,  when  some  of  us  who  for  three  years  had  be- 
longed to  rival  societies  began  to  see  much  of  one  another 
and  to  call  one  another  by  our  Christian  names.  As 
I  revert  to  those  undergraduate  days,  senior  year  seems 
far  the  best,  and  largely  because  of  this  widened  fellow- 


436 


Mi 


emories 


ofB 


rown 


ship.  If  this  is  an  indictment  of  the  fraternity  system,  let 
him  who  chooses  "  make  the  most  of  it."  It  seems  to  me 
that  the  fraternity  system  has  justified  itself,  especially 
when  it  has  exercised  a  disciplinary  influence  on  under- 
classmen ;  but  it  ought  to  be  elastic  enough  to  allow  for 
the  loyal  friendship  of  kindred  souls  who  may  chance  in 
the  exigencies  of  the  freshman  rushing  season  to  become 
separated  into  hostile  camps. 


Sayles  Gymnasium,  Women's  College 


In  seeking  the  ultimate  reason  for  the  fascination  of 
our  college  days,  I  am  inclined  to  think  the  glamour  of 
youth  had  most  to  do  with  it.  From  eighteen  to  twenty- 
two  the  human  animal  is  prone  to  joy,  and  we  would 
have  been  light  of  heart  in  any  circumstances ;  yet  I 
doubt  if  undergraduates  anywhere  else,  "on  the  whole 
and  in  the  long  run,"  as  President  Andrews  used  to  say, 
were  one  jot  or  tittle  happier  than  we  of  Brown. 

Henry  Robinson  Palmer,  iSgo. 


• 


Memories  of  Brow/i  437 


The  Football  Rush 


WHEN  I  entered  college  in  1886  I  found  a  cus- 
tom prevailing  for  the  sophomore  class  to 
challenge  the  incoming  freshman  class  to  a 
football  rush  and,  according  to  this  custom, 
the  freshmen  always  accepted  the  challenge.  By  the  tra- 
ditional rules  governing  the  contest,  a  member  of  the 
junior  class  was  chosen  by  the  freshman  class  to  act  as  its 
second,  and  a  member  of  the  senior  class  was  chosen  by 
the  sophomore  class  to  perform  a  similar  of^ce.  The  re- 
spective seconds  for  the  contesting  classes  had  the  right 
to  participate  in  the  contest  if  they  so  desired,  or  they 
might,  on  the  field  of  battle,  act  as  commanding  generals 
to  direct  the  contest.  Prior  to  the  contest  the  second 
was  supposed  to  meet  the  class  which  had  chosen  him 
and  give  it  such  instructions  and  such  counsel  as  seemed 
necessary  and  proper.  As  to  the  contest  itself,  I  may  say 
that  it  was  a  trial  of  strength  and  endurance  between  the 
two  classes.  Every  member  of  each  class  was  supposed 
to  show  up  and  take  a  part  in  the  fight,  and  woe  to  any 
man  who  displayed  the  white  feather.  He  was  marked 
as  a  coward,  lacking  every  element  of  bravery  and  chival- 
ry. So  great  was  the  feeling  against  a  quitter  or  deserter 
that  rarely  did  a  member  of  any  class  fail  to  show  up  on 
the  fateful  day.  A  description  of  the  contest  may  not  be 
amiss. 

A  day  was  selected  and  also  a  proper  place,  which  was 
usually  some  public  grounds  like  the  Messer-street  base- 
ball park.     It  was  always   held   on   public  grounds  and 


438 


Memories  of  Brown 


never  on  the  campus.  All  members  of  the  two  contest- 
ing classes,  with  the  seconds  chosen  to  look  out  for  them, 
would  leave  the  campus  in  moving-vans  with  great  noise 


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and  counter-cheering.  Upon  arrival  at  the  chosen  place, 
the  seconds  would,  by  a  flip  of  a  coin,''decide  the  position 
of  each  class  on  the  field,  at  either  end  of  which  goal  posts 


Memories  of  Brown  439 

liad  been  previously  erected.  Choice  would  be  made  for 
kick-off,  and  with  one  class  lined  up  on  one  side  of  the 
field  and  the  other  class  lined  up  on  the  other  side,  the 
kick-off  would  start  the  fray.  There  was  no  science  used 
and  no  rules  governed  the  contest.  From  the  time  of 
the  kick-off  until  the  time  fixed  for  the  contest  to  expire, 
it  was  a  free-for-all  fight.  The  only  thing  sought  to  be 
accomplished  was  to  get  the  ball  between  the  goal  posts 
for  a  touchdown.  It  could  be  kicked,  pulled,  pushed, 
thrown  or  forced  through  in  any  manner  whatsoever. 
The  only  thing  was  to  get  it  through.  During  the  con- 
test there  were  many  "  mix-ups,"  "  scraps  "  and  personal 
encounters,  resulting  many  times  in  bruises,  scratches 
and  "  beauty  marks,"  such  as  are  received  in  the  pugilis- 
tic ring.  At  times  almost  the  entire  classes  would  be 
piled  up  on  the  ground  in  one  glorious  heap,  struggling, 
fighting  and  sometimes,  I  am  ashamed  to  say,  swearing. 
The  strenuosity  of  the  contest  would  have  put  even 
President  Roosevelt  to  blush. 

The  manner  in  which  the  fellows  dressed  was  very  in- 
teresting. Most  of  them  purchased  football  jackets,  and 
strapped  themselves  into  them  so  tightly  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  get  hold  of  them  ;  some  of  the  fellows  stripped 
bare  to  the  waist  and  greased  their  arms,  back,  chest  and 
neck  in  order  to  elude  their  opponents.  If  any  fellow 
was  foolish  enough  to  wear  good  clothes  into  the  affray, 
he  was  obliged  to  gather  up  the  remnants  on  the  gory 
field  of  battle  at  the  close  of  the  fight. 

The  football  rush  between  the  classes  of  1891  and  1892 
was  the  last  ever  indulged  in  at  Brown.  Through  the 
concurrent  action  of  the  classes  of  1892  and  1893,  the  cus- 
tom was  abolished  and  some  milder  method  adopted  to 
settle  class  supremacy. 

James  A.  Williams,  18 go. 


440  Memories  of  Brown 


Hope  College  Twenty  Years  Ago 


SOME  time  late  in  the  eighties  there  roomed  in  Hope 
College  on  the  third  floor,  east  side  as  I  remember 
it,  a  man  whom  we  will  call  X.  He  was  a  most 
serious-minded  fellow,  purported  to  be  studying  for 
the  ministry,  and  was  easily  within  the  first  group  of  five 
or  six  religious  workers  within  the  college.  At  about  this 
time  amateur  photography  had  taken  a  hold  on  people's 
interest,  and  the  camera  club,  with  rooms  in  the  attic  of 
the  chemical  laboratory,  was  among  the  most  flourishing 
organizations  of  the  college.  Each  spring  the  club  gave 
an  exhibition  in  Sayles  with  the  projection  lantern,  throw- 
ing upon  the  screen  what  had  been  considered  by  compe- 
tent judges  the  best  work  of  the  club  members  for  the 
year.  In  addition  to  this,  part  of  the  evening's  entertain- 
ment was  devoted  to  the  display  of  slides  illustrative  of 
the  funny  side  of  college  life,  and  it  was  a  matter  of  a  good 
deal  of  interest  to  the  club  members  to  contribute  as  fully 
as  possible  to  this  particular  feature  of  the  entertainment. 
With  this  explanation  I  will  say  that  one  evening  I  visited 
X.'s  room  and  explained  to  him  that  it  was  to  be  a  feature 
of  the  next  camera  club  exhibition  to  display  the  "  haunts 
and  homes "  of  leading  members  of  the  college  com- 
munity. X.  very  willingly  consented  to  have  his  photo- 
graph taken,  so  with  the  room  made  immaculate  and  he 
sitting  at  one  end  of  his  study  table  (which,  by  the  way, 
was  in  the  centre  of  the  room)  reading  a  Testament, 
which  was  held  at  my  suggestion  in  his  hand  in  order  to 
make  a  better  picture,  the  flashlight  was  touched  off  and 


Memories  oj  Brown 


441 


the  picture  made.  The  next  evening  while  X.  was  away 
to  keep  an  appointment,  which  had  been  made  for  him 
with  considerable  care,  his  room  was  surreptitiously  en- 
tered, torn  up  and  given  the  appearance  of  a  first-class 
poker  den.  One  man  was  placed  in  the  exact  position 
that  X.  had  had  the  evening  before,  holding,  however,  in- 
stead of  the  Testament,  a  deck  of  cards.     Three   other 


-,-J — 

1  T' 

■IHSI^' 

^  1 

) 

^*  ^i^^^^^. 

h  Jl 

ft. 

^M^^i^\f 

w^^^s. 

1* 

l'^' 

• 

1 . 

•T' 

«> 

•«> 

^v-^T' 

The  Class  of   1891 
(Fifteen  years  after) 


men  were  placed  at  the  table,  which  was  covered  with 
poker  chips,  bottles,  cigar  stubs  and  everything  at  which 
X.  would  have  been  most  horrified.  A  flashlight  was  then 
taken  and  it  required  only  a  little  manipulation  to  remove 
from  the  plate  on  which  X.  figured  everything  but  X.  him- 
self, to  remove  from  the  second  plate  the  person  of  the 
man  who  had  sat  in  X.'s  place,  and  to  unite  the  two  plates 
so  as  to  make  a  slide  which  showed  X.  himself  in  his  own 


442  Memories  of  Brown 

room  smoking  a  cigarette,  surrounded  by  the  most  un- 
churchly  men  in  the  college.  At  the  exhibition  at  which 
the  slide  was  displayed,  X.  and  his  girl  occupied  front 
seats.  I  believe  X.  has  never  really  forgiven  me  for  my 
part  in  the  proceeding,  although  I  am  inclined  to  think 
that,  after  the  first  burst  of  anger  was  over,  he  saw  the 
funny  side  of  it  and  was  more  or  less  reconciled. 

Up  in  the  third  floor  of  Hope  College  roomed  one  of 
the  pillars  of  the  college  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  a  man  who  seemed 
to  be  thoroughly  imbued,  to  the  extent  even  of  religiosity, 
with  the  importance  of  evangelical  work.  Down  below 
on  another  floor  roomed  a  man  whose  interests  were  all 
in  the  other  direction.  Over  and  over  again  had  the  third- 
floor  man  expostulated  with  the  other  because  of  the  error 
of  his  ways,  and  as  many  times  had  the  man  of  the  second 
floor  refused  to  him  of  the  third  any  right  to  make  him 
the  burden  of  his  prayers.  But  late  one  night  a  change  of 
heart  arrived.  Our  religious  friend  heard  in  the  wee  sma' 
hours  his  name  repeated  over  and  over  again  in  a  very 
uncertain  and  unsteady  w^ay  from  the  ground  beneath  his 
window.  Finally,  as  he  appeared  at  the  window,  he  was 
greeted  with  the  solemn  and  pathetic  cry,  "  Pray  for  me, 
pray  for  me  ! " 

Of  all  the  faculty.  Professor ,  whom  we  all  admired 

in  many  ways,  was  said  to  lose  his  head  the  most  easily. 
On  one  occasion  there  sat  down  in  the  front  row  regularly 
in  his  classes  a  very  well-behaved  and  pious  youngster 
who  was  never  known  on  any  occasion  to  have  done  any- 
thing worse  than  chew  gum  in  class.  The  back  row, 
however,  in  that  particular  class  was  noted  for  quite  other 

characteristics  and  gave  Professor a  good  deal  of 

trouble.  On  this  occasion  the  professor  was  hard  at 
work  at  the  blackboard  behind  his  desk  when  with  tre- 
mendous force  an  apple  too  old  to  be  of  any  use  for  ordi- 
nary purposes  struck  our  well-behaved  friend  in  the  front 


Mi 


emortes 


ofB. 


rown 


443 


row  in  the  small  of  the  back.  With  a  start  the  professor 
looked  around  and  saw  that  something  was  wrong  and 
that  in  some  way  our  good  friend  in  front  was  associated 
with  it.  Further  than  that  his  immediate  analysis  did  not 
go.     Yet,  with  words  as  full  of  vigor  as  he  could  make 

them,  he  said,  "  Mr. (the  man  in  the  front  row),  you 

may  leave  the  room." 

Talking  about  signs  and  other  confiscated  property, 
the  most  gruesome  one  of  all  was  for  many  years  in  a 
third-story  room  of  Hope  College.  It  was  nothing  more 
or  less  than  a  marble  gravestone  inscribed  to  "  Little 
Willie."  Over  a  door  to  another  room  in  the  same  his- 
torical college  there  was  a  sign  taken  from  the  corridor 
of  the  city  hall,  reading  as  follows  :  "  Applicants  for  aid 
please  apply  at  the  door  opposite." 

Edwin  G.  Dexter,  i8gi. 


444 


Memories  of  Brown 


A  Conflict  of  Jurisdictions 


UST  before  the  beginning  of 
gymnasium  practice,  the 
writer  sprained  his  ankle. 
Work  in  the  gymnasium 
seemed  out  of  the  question, 
so  the  chairman  of  the  excuse 
committee  was  visited,  who, 
after  hearing  the  statement 
of  the  case,  repHed,  "  Your 
reason  is  good  and  I  beheve  your  request  to  be  excused 
from  practice  will  be  granted,  but  you  will  have  to  see 

Dr. ,  who  is  in  charge  and  has  jurisdiction  over  all  such 

cases."  When  the  case  was  presented  to  Dr.  • ,  his  re- 
ply was  somewhat  as  follows :  "  A  most  excellent  reason, 
and  I  think  that  the  professor  who  has  excuses  in  charge 
will  do  something  for  you.  You  had  better  see  him  at 
once."  So  the  matter  was  brought  again  to  the  attention 
of  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  excuses,  who,  after 
hearing  it,  said,  "  I  have  no  jurisdiction  in  this  case.     It  is 

a  proper  case  for  Dr. ,  and  you  should  go  and  see 

him."  So  back  to  the  gymnasium  the  writer  limped  and 
told  him  that  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  excuses 
had  referred  the  matter  to  him  for  decision.  Very  quick 
and  decided  was  his  reply  this  time :  "  I  say  that  you  are 
to  see  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  excuses."  The 
next  visit  to  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  excuses 
brought  a  very  quick  and  decided  reply,  right  to  the  point : 
"  I  say,  see  Dr. ."     This  seemed  to  be  about  the  only 


Memories  of  Brown  445 

solution  of  the  matter  to  be  reached,  this,  when  the  chair- 
man of  the  committee  on  excuses  was  appealed  to  for  a 

decision,  his  reply  was  invariably,  "  See  Dr. ."     And 

when  Dr.  was  approached  each  time  his  response 

was,  "  See  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  excuses." 

What  was  a  poor  limping  student  to  do  under  such  cir- 
cumstances? Though  the  ankle  was  painful,  his  injured 
feelings  were  still  more  so,  and  the  lacerated  condition  of 
the  latter  could  have  but  one  issue,  anger  or  despair.     At 

last,  addressing  Dr. ,  the  writer  said,  "  Dr.  - — -,  are 

you  good  at  guessing  conundrums?"  With  a  genial 
smile  the  doctor  replied  that  he  thought  he  was.  Then 
this  conundrum  was  flung  at  him :  "  Why  are  you  and 
the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  excuses  like  my  pocket 
dictionary  ?  "  The  doctor  had  finally  to  give  it  up.  Then 
the  writer  replied:  "In  my  pocket  dictionary  I  looked 
up  the  word  donkey,  and  for  definition  it  said, '  see  ass.' 
Turning  over  to  that  word  it  said  '  see  donkey.'  Now  I 
have  visited  you  and  you  say,  '  see  the  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  excuses,'  and  when  I  visit  him  he  says,  '  see 

Dr.  .'"     In  a  somewhat   agitated  manner  the   now 

rather  excited  doctor  shot  out  his  reply  to  this :  "  No  in- 
sults, sir !  You  will  not  be  allowed  to  enter  the  gymna- 
sium class  till  further  notice."  With  a  great  feeling  of 
gratitude  towards  his  pocket  dictionary  the  writer  fared 
forth  gladly,  though  limping,  excused  at  last. 

Harry  Luke  Thompson,  i8g6. 


446  Memories  of  Brown 


A  Fight  with  the    Firemen   in  1898 


'A. 


m  -^  COLLEGE  student  celebration,  the   like   of 

^i     which  has  not  been  seen  here  in  years,  trans- 

'  i'"/'  %^      (^  formed  the  arena  of  Lincoln  Field 

**    ^  -^^^  ;»^  jj^j-Q  ^   battleground   last   night.* 


The  warring  factions  were  the 
students  of  Brown  University  and 
the  fire  department,  or  rather  a 
portion  of  it,  of  the  city  of  Providence.  The  bones  of 
contention  were  bonfires.  The  students  wanted  bonfires, 
wanted  them  badly,  and,  moreover,  had  bonfires  to  burn. 
The  firemen  had  no  objection  to  the  lighting  of  bonfires, 
but  insisted  on  performing  their  duty  and  putting  out  the 
bonfires  as  fast  as  they  flared  up.  Therefore,  the  casus 
belli.  The  students  fought  the  firemen,  and  the  firemen, 
bonfires  and  students.  This  was  the  order  of  things  from 
8:30  o'clock  until  lo  o'clock  on  Lincoln  Field. 

It  was  the  wildest  celebration  the  hill  and  campus  had 
ever  seen.  A  bonfire  is  in  itself  a  little  thing.  But  when 
rows  of  charging  men  are  swept  from  their  feet  by  a  col- 
umn of  squirting  water,  when  students  in  football  duds 
and  firemen  in  rubber  coats  struggle  for  a  line  of  hose, 
when  a  crowd  that  has  laughed  long  and  loud  at  seeing 
others  wet  becomes  a  target  for  a  wide-sweeping  water- 
spout— the  possibilities  of  a  bonfire  are  recognized.  '  Tis 
no  common  sight  to  see  well-dressed  persons  lovingly 
embrace  a  line  of  dirty,  muddy  hose.  It  isn't  vouchsafed 
humanity  every  day  to  see  a  line  of  men  swept  from  a 

*  May  17,  1899. 


Mi 


emortes  o 


o/B. 


rown 


447 


fence  like  ten-pins  before  a  ball  by  water.  It  is  an  excite- 
ment beyond  the  ordinary  run  to  be  soaked  through  and 
through  when  garbed  in  a  dress  suit.  It  creates  enthusi- 
asm to  hear  men  shout  and  cheer.  There's  a  tingling  in 
the  blood  when  the  possibility  of  a  good  hard  fist  fight  is 
in  prospect. 


Brunonia  and  Caswell  Halls 


For  two  hours  the  students  built  bonfires,  cut  lines  of 
hose  and  threw  themselves  before  streams  of  water  with 
an  earnestness  that  was  not  dampened.  The  firemen, 
likewise,  appeared  to  enjoy  things,  especially  when  they 
played  upon  a  bunch  of  collegians.  There  were  one  or 
two  mixups  when  the  students  attempted  to  take  a  nozzle 
away  from  the  firemen.  The  students  did  not  show  any 
particular  advantage  in  this.     They  showed  more  profi- 


448  Memories  of  Brown 

ciency  in  cutting  hose.  The  poHce  of  the  Central  and 
Third  stations  were  sent  for  and  Deputy  Chief  Egan  also 
travelled  up  the  hill,  for  it  was  feared  at  one  time  there 
would  be  a  pitched  battle  between  the  students  and  the 
firemen. 

A  crowd  of  two  or  three  thousand  persons  witnessed 
the  performance  which  was  considerably  like  a  circus.  It 
was  all  the  more  enjoyable  because  there  was  only  one 
ring.  It  occupied  the  grandstands  and  the  bleachers  and 
in  the  beginning  was  an  immaculately  groomed  and 
gowned  party,  dress  suits  being  very  much  in  evidence 
since  many  of  the  East-siders  had  left  dinner  to  go  to 
this  show. 

After  the  firemen  had  turned  the  stream  on  all  it  could 
reach,  signs  of  dress  were  unrecognizable.  The  sympa- 
thies of  the  watchers  were  evenly  divided  between  the 
firemen  and  the  students  until  after  the  deluge.  Then  it 
all  went  to  the  students.  What  with  the  yelling  and 
cheering,  the  bonfires  and  the  firemen  it  was  a  never-to- 
be-forgotten  night  on  Lincoln  Field. 

Had  the  celebration  been  planned  to  take  the  succes- 
sive steps  it  did  it  would  have  been  a  failure.  Since  it  was 
a  creation  of  chance  and  the  mood  of  men,  it  became  a 
celebration  with  which  future  revels  of  victory  will  suffer 
in  comparison.  The  first  step  was  the  ringing  in  of  an 
alarm  from  box  91  by  Steward  Delaney  of  the  college. 
It  was  soon  after  the  parade,  and  a  bonfire  had  been 
started  and  was  fiaming  brightly  on  the  campus  in  the 
rear  of  Slater  Hall.  The  collegians  were  dancing  around 
it  and  cheering  in  their  ebullition  of  spirits  when  the  fire- 
men came  clattering  to  the  scene  with  engines  and  hose 
wagons,  hose  and  nozzles.  The  bonfire  was  the  only  fire 
in  sight,  and,  rightly  supposing  that  it  was  this  for  which 
the  alarm  had  been  rung,  they  made  preparations  to  ex- 
tinguish it. 


Memories  of  Brown  449 

A  line  of  hose  was  attached  to  a  hydrant  and  the  hose- 
men  went  forward  with  the  Hne.  They  didn't  go  far.  A 
hundred  or  more  students  and  their  sympathizers  signi- 
fied their  disapproval  of  any  fire  extinguishing  by  seizing 
the  Hne  of  hose  in  its  middle  and  pulling  it  to  the  rear. 
They  considered  that  they  had  a  right  to  build  bonfires 
on  their  own  campus,  and  as  long  as  it  was  not  a  menace 
the  bonfire  should  be  left  to  burn  while  their  voices  lasted. 

The  firemen  had  been  called  to  put  out  a  fire,  so  they 
put  out  the  only  one  in  sight.  They  didn't  do  it  with 
water,  however.  When  the  students  had  dragged  the  fire- 
men so  far  back  that  the  water  wouldn't  reach  the  fiames 
more  firemen  came  to  the  aid  of  their  companions.  There 
was  a  tug  of  war,  the  firemen  being  outnumbered  five  to 
one.  In  the  course  of  it  the  tuggers  became  crowded 
against  the  wooden  fence  on  the  George  street  side.  The 
fence  made  more  room  by  falling  flat  on  the  sidewalk. 
Water  was  turned  on  at  the  hydrant,  but  it  didn't  reach 
the  nozzle.  The  hose  had  been  cut  in  three  or  four 
places  by  strategic  students.  The  hose  was  finally 
given  up  and  the  fire  extinguished  by  the  fiuid  in  the 
chemical  tanks. 

This  animated  gathering  had  drawn  a  big  crowd,  and, 
like  all  crowds,  it  followed  the  leader. 

"  Brown,  this  way,"  was  the  rallying  slogan,  and  the 
students  hurried  to  the  baseball  diamond,  followed  by  a 
stumbling  crowd  of  men,  women  and  children. 

Another  fire  was  started  in  the  centre  of  the  diamond ; 
it  was  blazing  merrily  a«d  fuel  was  in  demand  when 
the  firemen  again  entered  the  game.  Naturally  they  did 
not  approve  of  cutting  the  hose  nor  of  the  attempt  to  block 
them  from  pursuing  their  legitimate  vocation.  They 
were  there  to  put  out  fires,  and  they  would  put  out  all 
fires  in  sight. 

So  they  came  running  down  between  the  gymnasium 


450  Memories  of  Brow?2 

and  the  bleaclier  next  to  Maxcy  Hall,  with  a  line  of  hose 
and  water  spurting  from  the  nozzle.  "  Here  comes  the 
hose,  here  comes  the  hose ;  stop ! "  shouted  the  students 
whose  yells  had  drawn  to  them  cohorts  of  youthful  and 
adult  rowdies  and  toughs.  Naturally  those  who  shouted 
the  loudest  stood  back.  A  few  of  the  more  daring  made 
a  rush  for  the  hose.  They  seized  it  some  feet  away  from 
the  two  firemen  who  were  holding  the  nozzle,  and  began 
pulling.  With  twenty  men  pulling  against  them  the 
firemen  advanced  rapidly  backwards.  Then  for  the  first 
time  they  assumed  the  offensive.  They  turned  around 
and  steered  the  stream  straight  upon  the  bodies  of  the 
students.  When  the  water  struck  these  they  went  down 
as  though  their  legs  had  been  taken  from  under  them. 
They  were  knocked  endwise  and  edgewise.  They  stood 
everywhere  but  upon  their  feet.  The  water  struck  them 
wath  the  force  of  a  club  and  as  fast  as  they  got  up  they 
went  down  again.  Blinded  and  gasping  some  of  them 
still  clung  to  the  hose  line.  Then  more  students  made 
a  rush  for  the  two  men  and  a  struggle  began  for  the  pos- 
session of  the  nozzle.  It  thrashed  and  squirmed,  spun 
round  and  banged  right  and  left  like  a  crazy  windmill, 
smiting  the  students  right  and  left.  One  of  them,  E.  G. 
Hapgood,  received  a  clip  that  made  him  hors  de  combat 
for  the  rest  of  the  night. 

The  crowd  that  had  congregated  on  the  bleacher  near 
Maxcy  Hall  came  in  for  its  portion  of  wetness  and  stopped 
laughing  at  the  bedraggled,  watersoaked  students.  It  fled 
under  the  bleacher;  it  ran  and  scrambled  in  a  confused 
mass,  but  couldn't  escape  the  twisting  nozzle.  It  received 
a  thorough  ducking.  At  this  juncture  the  hose  was  cut 
and  the  nozzle  gave  up  its  struggles.  For  the  time  being 
the  college  had  won  and  mighty  resonant  cheers  sounded 
through  the  air  while  the  bonfire  burned  merrily.  Lum- 
ber in  plenty  came  forth  and  the  students  sang  songs.     A 


Memories  of  Brown 


451 


few  of  thLMii  were  in  rags  and  most  of  them  were  thor- 
oughly wet.  Their  victory  was  but  momentary.  The 
firemen  came  on  with  another  hne  of  hose.  As  far  as  it 
could  be  seen  it  was  guarded  by  policemen  and  firemen. 
"  Brown,  this  way,"  yelled  the  students  and  small  boys,  and 
a  sortie  was  made  for  the  rear  of  the  bleacher,  where  the 


Sayles  and  Wilson   Halls  and  the  John  Carter   Brown  Library 


hose  was  supposed  to  be  unprotected.  The  supposition 
w^as  incorrect.  It  was  guarded  by  another  nozzle  and 
when  the  leaders  were  a  few  feet  from  this  brass  pipe  the 
water  issued  forth.  The  crowd,  of  course,  had  followed 
the  leaders. 

The  front  rank  of  the  attacking  party  were  swept  from 
their  feet  and  carried  away  as  the  chaff  is  by  the  whirl- 


452  Memories  of  Brown 

wind.  The  rest  turned  their  backs  and  incontinently 
fled.  It  is  no  joke  to  say  that  their  ardor  was  dampened. 
The  stream  of  water  assisted  their  retrograde  movement. 
It  struck  some  of  them  in  the  small  of  their  back  and  laid 
them  flat.  It  took  the  legs  out  from  under  others  and 
hurled  the  rest  to  the  four  winds.  It  was  a  wild  scut- 
tling rush.  The  people  of  the  bleachers,  who  were  only 
spectators,  enjoyed  this  and  were  aroused  to  great  mirth. 
The  stream  heard  the  summons  and  came  to  them.  They 
fell  down  with  impetus  and  emphasis.  The  stream  played 
all  over  the  diamond,  and  transformed  the  hard  ground 
into  a  quagmire. 

It  was  obvious  that  the  students  didn't  know  what  they 
wanted.  So  a  leader  got  a  knot  together,  and  propounded 
this  question :  "  Do  we  want  a  fire  ^  "  The  answer  was 
in  the  afiirmative,  thus :  "  We  do  want  a  fire !  We 
will  have  a  fire  !  Yah  !  "  Then  sundry  and  divers  yells, 
cat-calls  and  hoots  of  derision,  directed  towards  the  firemen 
and  policemen. 

Another  fire  was  built  near  the  bleacher  on  the  Thayer 
street  side.  The  firemen  couldn't  reach  it  and  the  legions 
of  the  bonfire  yelled  grandly  in  unison.  The  crowed  began 
to  disperse,  since  wet  clothes  are  not  comfortable.  The 
firemen  refrained  from  speech,  but  went  around  to  Thayer 
street  and  put  two  streams  over  the  fence.  These  streams 
didn't  reach  the  bonfire,  but  knocked  a  crowd  from  the 
top  of  the  fence.  The  cheering  ceased  and  it  w^as  decided 
that  the  fire  was  in  danger.  It  was  removed,  w^hile  still 
burning,  piece  by  piece,  several  feet.  There  was  more 
cheering,  since  it  was  beyond  the  firemen.  With  consist- 
ent quietness  these  latter  climbed  the  fence  with  the  noz- 
zles and  the  fire-builders  fled  to  places  where  it  was  at 
least  dry  overhead.     This  fire  was  extinguished. 

"  To  the  campus,"  was  the  yell,  and  thither  rushed  the 
crowd.     The  original  fire  in  the  rear  of  Slater  Hall  was 


Memories  of  Brown  453 

blazing  again.  It  blazed,  and  the  firemen  and  policemen 
went  away.  The  students  made  a  faint  noise.  They 
could  not  shout  their  victory  as  they  would,  for  they  could 
but  whisper.  They  shook  hands  and  those  that  were  wet 
danced  themselves  dry.  There  was  no  need  of  the  police, 
though  it  seemed  a  likelihood  at  one  time.  The  of^cers 
made  no  attempt  to  interfere,  save  but  to  guard  the  hose. 
When  they  first  appeared  the  students  hooted  and  hissed 
them,  and  sang,  "Get  out,  cops,"  in  chorus. 

It  was  claimed  that  Irving  Southworth  received  a  scalp 
wound  from  a  policeman's  club.  The  bonfire  revelry  con- 
tinued into  the  early  morning  hours. 

While  the  bonfire  incident  proved  to  be  the  piece  de 
resistance  of  the  celebration,  a  parade  due  to  the  same  in- 
spiration preceded  it,  the  aforesaid  inspiration  being  the 
victory  of  the  Brown  nine  at  Princeton.  When  Brown 
wins  a  ballgame  the  students  are  prone  to  suffer  tempo- 
rary aberration  of  mind.  The  usual  flight  of  intellect  or 
a  supper  of  hasheesh  led  about  300  of  the  university  chil- 
dren to  array  themselves  in  the  garments  of  sleep  and 
parade  down  College  Hill  and  through  Westminster  and 
Weybosset  streets.  Of  course  they  yowled  and  blocked 
the  street-cars  and  gave  the  populace  generally  to  under- 
stand what  a  throaty  affair  the  aftermath  of  a  baseball 
victory  is.  In  front  of  the  Doyle  monument  they  jumped 
up  and  down,  blew  horns  and  yelled  while  a  placard  bear- 
ing the  inscription  "  Brown  6,  Princeton  only  3,"  was 
placed  before  the  monument.  Then  they  marched  back 
to  college. 

From  a  contemporary  account. 


454  Memories  of  B 


rown 


Recollections  of  a  ''Super" 


y4  S  I  used  to  geologize  out  along  the  Hartford  turn- 
/-^  pike  with  the  rest  of  the  class,  by  some  strange 
-^  -^  perversity  of  my  nature  my  greatest  interest  was 
always  aroused  by  the  curious  bits  of  rock — 
the  "funny-looking"  stones.  They  invariably  proved 
to  be  worthless  things,  but,  nevertheless,  I  liked  them. 
They  were  odd  little  specimens,  individualists  in  their 
way,  and  I  used  to  carry  them  about  in  my  pocket  and 
exhibit  them  to  the  boys  with  as  much  pleasure  as  ever 
a  real  geologist  experienced  in  displaying  a  real  find. 

The  passing  years  have  panned  my  college  memories 
as  a  miner  pans  for  gold.  They  have  washed  away  this 
and  that  thing,  until,  now,  looking  in  the  pan,  I  find  a 
curious  assortment.  There  are  some  rocks  of  experience, 
a  few — a  sad  few — nuggets  of  knowledge,  and  a  large 
number  of  "funny-looking  "  stones.  And,  as  in  the  other 
days,  I  like  these  last  the  best.  They  are  curiously 
labelled,  and  I  find  that  most  of  them  refer  to  incidents 
and  events  which  have  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  the 
elms,  the  campus,  the  president  or  the  faculty. 

Among  them  there  is  one  marked  "Suping,"  and  it  is 
one  of  my  favorites.  It  brings  up  the  old  opera  house 
from  pit  to  gallery.  It  recalls  evenings  spent  there  in 
front,  but,  most  pleasing  of  all,  it  conjures  up  the  nights 
when  I  stood  behind  the  charmed  circle  of  the  lights  and 
did  all  that  blundering  stupidity  could  do  to  spoil  the  per- 
formance. "  Suping  "  was  an  ancient  pastime  for  the  stu- 
dents even  in  my  day.     Why,  I  recollect  hearing  of  the 


'-'^    THE  \ 

UNIVERSITY  j 


M, 


em  ones  o 


o/B. 


rown 


455 


chap  who  assisted   I^Mwin    Booth.     It  was  an  old  story 
even  then. 

It  seems  that  Booth  was  presenting  Othello  and  was 
himself  cast  for  lago.  The  student  was  engaged  to  help 
in  the  mob.     It  so  happened  that  in  the  play  there  was 


Ladd  Astronomical  Observatory 


one  part  which  required  a  trifle  more  intelligence  than  is 
usual  in  a  mob,  which  required  what  might  be  termed  a 
super-supe.  The  engaging  countenance  of  the  young 
student  attracted  the  attention  of  the  tragedian,  and  to 
the  gratification  of  the  young  man  he  was  selected  for  the 
part.     The  character  was  that  of  a  watchman.     At  one 


456  Memories  of  B. 


rown 


stage  of  the  play  lago  and  another  engage  in  a  rapier 
duel.  It  was  the  duty  of  the  watchman  to  step  forward 
and  strike  up  their  swords,  accompanying  the  action  with 
the  words,  "  Hold  your  hands  !  "  That  phrase  was  all  the 
student  had  to  learn,  but  he  learned  it  with  every  possible 
variation  and  change  of  emphasis.  He  practised  it  in 
falsetto  and  basso  profundo.  He  roared  it.  He  cooed  it. 
He  implored  and  he  commanded,  and  before  the  fateful 
night  arrived  he  could  have  said  it  in  any  one  of  a  hun- 
dred ways. 

The  play  went  smoothly  and  majestically  forward.  At 
the  proper  time  the  fighting  words  were  spoken.  The 
rapiers  were  drawn.  The  combatants  sprang  at  each 
other.  The  student  stepped  bravely  forward,  drew  his 
sword,  made  a  feeble  pass — and  gulped.  Booth  glared  at 
him,  and  fenced  desperately— literally  fenced  for  time. 
Again  the  student  waved  the  sword,  and  again — he  gulped. 
The  words  he  was  to  have  spoken  were  as  though  they 
had  never  been.  Under  his  breath.  Booth  hissed,  "Speak, 
you  fool."  Thereupon,  the  young  man,  rising  to  the 
emergency  at  last,  squared  his  shoulders,  struck  up  the 
contending  swords  with  a  mighty  sweep,  and  in  ringing 
tones  ejaculated,  "  Cheese  it,  the  cop  ! " 

I  recollect  a  night  when  two  '98  men  were  drafted  to 
act  as  soldiers.  I  forget  the  play,  and  it  does  not  matter. 
They  were  supposed  to  stand  side  by  side  at  the  door  in 
the  rear,  shoulders  up,  eyes  to  the  front.  At  the  ap- 
pointed time,  at  a  word  from  their  superior  officer,  they 
were  to  march  down  the  stage,  seize  the  villain,  and  eject 
him  L.  R.  E.  On  the  night  in  question  they  took  their 
stand.  At  the  cue,  the  officer  yelled,  "  Seize  that  man  !  " 
and  with  swinging  steps  they  advanced  to  the  footlights. 
By  some  curious  mischance,  the  hero  and  the  villain  had 
been  rehearsing  each  other's  parts  at  rehearsals,  and  this 
night,  for  the  first  time,  were  acting  their  proper  roles. 


Memories  of  Brown  457 

This  change,  however,  had  not  been  explained  to  the  two 
soldiers.  They  had  learned  to  associate  a  certain  face 
with  a  villainous  character,  and  they  had  been  hustling 
that  face  off  stage  L.  R.  E.  for  three  rehearsals.  So 
when  they  came  down  that  night  and  spotted  the  man 
they  had  been  arresting  at  all  times  theretofore,  they  pro- 
ceeded to  nail  him  as  usual.  There  was  a  horrified  gasp 
from  the  audience,  a  frenzied  half-yell  from  the  prompter 
in  the  wings,  and  a  startled  whisper  from  the  hero.  All 
was  futile. 

"  Theirs  not  to  reason  why — " 

They  grabbed  that  hero  and  started.  He  cursed  and 
fought ;  the  prompter  swore  and  the  audience  shouted, 
but  the  two  soldiers  bent  to  the  task  and  the  hero  went 
off  stage  L.  R.  E. 

I  think  it  was  in  my  junior  year  that  Henry  Irving  and 
Ellen  Terry  came  to  Providence  for  a  three-nights  en- 
gagement. The  first  production  was  the  Merchant  of 
Venice,  and  among  seven  or  eight  men  who  suped  that  eve- 
ning were"  Beef"  Wheeler,  Howard  Briggs,  my  roommate, 
and  myself.  I  have  no  recollection  of  the  first  two  acts, 
except  that  at  one  time  the  whole  crowd  of  supes, 
wrapped  in  black  cloaks  and  carrying  small  lanterns,  were 
sent  scurrying  across  a  dark  stage  before  the  drop-curtain. 
After  it  was  all  over  we  learned  that  we  w^ere  supposed  to 
have  been  gay  roisterers  pursuing  a  bevy  of  girls.  We 
were  all  somewhat  aggrieved  at  this  announcement,  for 
we  felt  that  had  we  known  our  true  characters  we  could 
have  bagged  at  least  one  girl. 

This  escapade  acconiplished,  we  were  hustled  down  to 
the  dressing-rooms,  and  informed  that  our  next  appear- 
ance would  be  in  the  courtroom  scene.  The  man  in 
charge  sized  us  up,  and  said  that  all  but  Briggs  and  I 
would  go  on  as  guards.  We,  being  of  small  stature,  were 
cast  for  "  magnificoes."     They  clapped  a  white  wig  on  my 


458  Memories  of  Brown 

head,  adorned  my  face  with  white  eyebrows,  white  mus- 
tache and  goatee,  threw  a  scarlet  cloak  about  my 
shoulders,  and  there  I  was.  When  they  had  Briggs  fixed 
you  couldn't  have  told  him  from  a  justice  of  the  supreme 
court.  In  the  meantime,  Wheeler  and  the  others  had 
been  put  into  armor — good  American  tin-plate  armor. 
They  looked  grand  and  gorgeous. 

The  scene  was  set  in  this  wise,  looking  at  it  from  the 
front.  The  duke  of  Venice  and  six  magnificoes  consti- 
tuted the  court  and  they  were  lined  up  on  the  right-hand 
side  of  the  stage  like  a  football  team.  The  duke  played 
centre,  the  left  end  w^as  near  the  footlights  and  the  right 
end  was  up-stage.  Briggs  was  right  end  and  I  was  right 
tackle.  The  man  playing  guard  next  to  me  was  one  of 
the  company,  and  we  were  told  that  all  we  had  to  do  was 
to  get  up  when  he  got  up  and  sit  down  when  he  sat  down. 
We  thought  we  could  do  that. 

One  of  the  entrances  was  on  the  left  side  of  the  stage  and 
one  at  the  rear.  There  was  a  thin  guard  at  the  former, 
and  "  Beef "  W  heeler  at  the  latter.  I  can  see  that  thin 
guard  yet.  He  stood  beside  the  door,  facing  the  audience. 
The  visor  of  his  helmet  was  up  and  his  sharp  nose  and 
chin  were  silhouetted  against  the  wall  beyond.  He  stood 
motionless,  staring  out  over  the  footlights,  past  the  door 
which  he  was  guarding.  His  spear  he  held  upright  in  his 
left  hand. 

The  play  proceeded.  Presently  came  the  time  for  Shy- 
lock  to  make  his  entrance.  That  was  the  cue.  The 
door  opposite  slowly  opened.  The  old  Jew  stood  in  the 
entrance.  Everyone  on  the  stage  and  in  the  audience 
was  aware  of  his  presence,  I  presume,  except  the  thin 
guard  at  the  door  at  which  he  was  entering.  About  this 
time,  that  guard  conceived  the  idea  that  he  was  holding 
the  spear  in  the  wrong  hand,  and  that  he  might  shift  it 
over  unnoticed,  provided  he  did  it  quickly.     So,  as  Shy- 


M, 


emories  Oi 


B 


rown 


459 


lock  stepped  forward,  he  swung  the  spear  around.  It 
caught  Sir  Henry  a  right  smart  slap  in  the  stomach,  and 
he  looked  vastly  surprised.  The  guard  looked  surprised 
too.  He  took  away  his  spear,  bowed  solicitously,  and 
said,  "  I  beg  your  pardon.  I  trust  I  did  not  hurt  you." 
But  Sir  Henry  did  not  wait  to  discuss  the  question.     He 


St.  Stephen's  Church  and  the  Engineering  Building 


waved  him  aside,  and  proceeded  as  calmly  as  though  he 
was  accustomed  to  having  men  poke  him  in  the  ribs  with 
a  long  stick. 

"  The  quality  of  mercy  is  not  strained — " 

The  rich  tones  swept  out  over  the  house,  and  no  one  in 
all  that  audience  had  thought  for  anything  but  the  grand 
passage.     That  is,  no  one  but  "  Beef "  Wheeler.     It  so  hap- 


460  Memories  of  Brown 

pened  that  "  Beef"  weighed  close  to  200  pounds,  and  he 
had  been  run  into  a  boy's  size  suit  of  armor.  It  fitted 
him  soon,  very  soon,  and  very  completely,  and  to  climax 
the  situation  they  had  closed  down  the  visor  of  the 
helmet.  The  result  was,  that,  to  all  intents  and  purposes, 
they  had  immersed  him  in  a  Turkish  bath.  It  became 
warm  inside  that  armor,  and  the  longer  he  stood  the 
warmer  it  got,  and,  the  outfit  being  practically  a  shell,  all 
the  weather  slowly  percolated  up  inside  and  accumulated 
in  the  helmet,  and  since,  as  has  been  said,  the  visor  was 
down,  all  the  heat  stayed  there. 

"  It  droppeth  as  the  gentle  dew  from  Heaven  upon  the 
place  beneath." 

"  How  divine,"  thought  the  audience. 

"  Gentle  dew  !  "  snorted  "  Beef,"  "  Gentle  dew,  nothing. 
It's  a  flood  in  here." 

"  It  is  twice  blest.  It  blesseth  him  that  gives  and  him 
that  takes." 

"  Beautiful,"  murmured  the  crowd. 

"Blessing!  I'll  bless  the  man  who  put  me  into  this 
if  I  ever  get  a  hold  of  him,"  growled  "  Beef."  "  Great 
Scott!  Isn't  she  ever  going  to  quit.  Saw  it  off,  old  girl, 
saw  it  off.     I'll  give  you  two  minutes  to  chop  it." 

"  '  Nuff  said,"  grunted  "  Beef."  "  Time's  up.  The  stuff 
is  off." 

A  junk  wagon  on  a  cobblestone  road  might  have  made 
more  noise,  but  it  is  a  matter  for  argument.  The  mailed 
shoes  clanged  on  the  boards.  The  mailed  fist  smote 
against  the  spear.  Each  armored  joint  shrieked  a  pro- 
test. The  visor  rattled  against  the  helmet.  Miss  Terry 
paused  and  glared  at  the  guard,  but  that  pillar  of  the  Vene- 
tian state  was  gone.  He  was  in  the  wings  seeking  a 
spigot  and  the  man  who  had  strapped  him  in. 

Briggs  and  I  were  ashamed  of  our  colleagues.  Seated 
at  ease  upon  our  bench  it   was  inconceivable  to   us   that 


Memories  of  Brown  461 

any  men,  and,  above  all,  college  men,  could  hinder  or  harm 
such  a  performance.  We  were  carried  beyond  ourselves. 
It  was  much  to  see  Irving  and  Terry.  It  was  far  more  to 
sit  within  ten  feet  of  them  and  see  every  expression, every 
minute  gesture.  We  followed  each  phase  of  the  play 
closely.  The  compelling  plea,  the  hard  insistence  of  the 
Jew,  swept  our  emotions  in  turn.  We  heard  Portia  give 
judgment  against  Antonio.,  The  next  instant,  advancing 
across  the  stage,  she  addressed  the  duke. 

"  Most  Noble  Duke,"  said  she,  "  Hast  in  the  court  the 
scales  to  weigh  the  flesh  }  " 

And  right  there  was  w^here  we  got  our  bolt  from  the 
blue.  The  duke,  in  what  to  me  was  a  most  profound 
voice  of  inquiry,  turned  to  the  man  next  to  me,  and  said, 
"  Sir,  hast  thou  the  scales  }  " 

Thereupon  that  individual,  without  any  preliminaries 
whatever,  wheeled  to  me,  and  said  in  an  accusing  voice, 
"  Sir,  hast  thou  the  scales.^  " 

"  Great  Heavens,"  I  thought,  "  They  have  forgotten  to 
provide  those  scales,  and  they  are  trying  to  stick  me  for 
it."  But  I  was  not  responsible  for  their  old  scales,  and 
did  not  intend  to  let  them  think  I  was. 

"What,"  said  I,  aloud,  "scales?  I  haven't  seen  any 
scales  ;  Briggsey,  have  you  got  those  scales .?  " 

Poor  Briggs  was  so  surprised  that  he  nearly  fell  off  the 
seat. 

"  Scales?  "  said  he,  startled  and  flustered,  "  Never  had 
any  scales,"  and  then,  illuminated  by  a  sudden  tremen- 
dous idea,  he  added  hopefully,  "  Perhaps  they  are  under 
the  bench." 

And  he  proceeded  to  get  down  on  his  hands  and  knees 
and  take  a  look. 

"  Get  up  from  there,"  whispered  the  man  next  me  in  a 
fierce  whisper.  I  glanced  around.  Portia  was  proceeding 
with  her  lines,  and  in  her  hands  she  held  a  pair  of  scales. 


462 


Memories  of  Brown 


Briggs  meekly  crawled  back  on  the  bench,  and  I  sank 
back  too  astonished  to  murmur,  but  to  this  day  where 
she  obtained  those  scales  is  a  mystery  to  both  of  us, 

Warren  E.  Greene,  i8g8. 


Professor  Benjamin  F.  Clarke.  1863 
(From  the  Benson  Portrait) 


Memories  of  Brown  463 

President  Andrews:      As  Seen  by 
the  Brown  Men  of  His  Time 


WHATEVER  differences  there  may  be  in  opin- 
ions as  to  this  or  that  of  the  mental  character- 
istics of  President  Andrews,  wherever  Brown 
men  are  gathered  together  there  is  always 
unanimous  testimony  concerning  the  phenomenal  nature 
of  his  ability  to  remember  faces  and  to  recall  names,  and 
many  are  the  reminiscences  exemplifying  this  facility  of 
recollection.  That  it  is  a  cultivated  power,  however, 
and  not  entirely  a  natural  gift  was  made  known  by  the 
advice  which  he  gave  us.  "Gentlemen,"  he  was  wont  to 
say,  "  gentlemen,  cultivate  your  memories  ;  it  is  within  the 
power  of  everyone  of  you  to  enlarge  his  stock  of  ever- 
ready  data.  When  for  example,  a  pat  word  or  a  name 
evades  your  mental  fislihook,  do  not  run  helplessly  to 
your  dictionary,  but  rather  command  it  to  come  forth 
from  its  hiding-place  in  the  dark  recesses  of  your  own 
preserves  and  if  it  will  not  come,  get  down,  get  down, 
gentlemen,  on  the  floor  and  roll ;  grovel  on  the  ground 
until  it  comes  to  light."  It  is  extremely  diilficult  to  pic- 
ture our  dignified  "Prexy"  rolling  about  on  his  study 
floor  in  search  of  an  elusive  word,  but  that  in  some  way 
he  had  struggled  with  and  gained  the  mastery  over  those 
will-o'-the-wisps  of  memory  no  one  who  knew  him  can 
ever  doubt. 

He  remembered  faces  as  well  as  names  and  the  facility 
with  which  he  learned  to  know  his  students  was  largely 


464  Memories  of  Brown 

responsible  for  the  great  influence  which  he  exerted  over 
them  individually.  That  there  were  a  few  men,  however, 
in  the  under  classes  who  had  never  come  in  direct  per- 
sonal contact  with  the  president  might  very  well  have 
been  the  case  in  a  university  so  large  as  Brown  and,  ac- 
cording to  a  contemporary  anecdote,  it  appears  that  to 
remain  unknown  might  even  be  a  laudable  ambition. 

Once  at  a  local  gathering,  a  father  whose  son  was  then 
a  junior  in  the  university  asked  to  be  introduced  to  Presi- 
dent Andrews.  After  the  introduction  the  parent  re- 
marked to  Dr.  Andrews  that  he  probably  knew  his  son 
very  well,  mentioning  the  son's  name.  To  the  evident 
surprise  of  the  father  Dr.  Andrews  was  obliged  to  tell 
him  that  he  had  never  met  his  son  to  know  him,  "  But," 
remarked  the  president,  "  I  want  to  assure  you,  Mr.  B., 
that  the  fact  of  my  not  knowing  him  is  pretty  good  evi-  • 
dence  that  he  is  a  young  man  of  the  right  stamp.  If  he 
were  not,  I  should  probably  have  known  him  long  before 
this." 

But  whether  the  students  were  all  known  to  him  or  not 
there  was  no  doubt  that  he  was  known  to  all  of  them. 
A  personality  such  as  that  of  Dr.  Andrews  can  never  be 
neutral ;  it  makes  itself  felt  upon  all  within  eye  and  ear 
shot.  Merely  to  come  under  his  glance  was  an  experi- 
ence not  easily  forgotten.  There  was  something  about 
that  glance  not  easily  analyzed  but  certainly  it  was  the  ex- 
pression about  the  eyes  which  first  attracted  and  held  the 
attention.  He  had  lost  an  eye  in  the  war  and  surely  Dr. 
Andrews  will  forgive  a  reference  to  his  monocular  vi- 
sion, as  perhaps  he  was  unconscious  of  its  effect  upon  the 
student-body.  Whichever  eye  was  the  glass  one  and 
which  the  all-seeing,  we  could  never  agree  upon,  for  both 
moved,  and  when  he  was  apparently  steadily  scrutinizing 
Brown,  he  bowed  to  Jones.  Somehow  one  felt  that  either  , 
or  both  of  those  eyes  could  pierce  thick  darkness   and 


Memories  of  Brow?i  465 

walls  of  masonry.  So  what  matters  it  which  was  glass, 
since  the  feeling  that  one  of  them  was  ever  on  us,  pre- 
served us  from  "  many  a  blunder  and  foolish  notion." 
Even  in  prayer — when  we  stole  frequent  glances  to  see  if 
perchance  both  eyes  might  not  be  closed — there  was  that 
piercing  regard,  convincing  one  that  the  president  was 
pleading  with  the  Lord  himself  for  the  pardon  and  guid- 
ance of  the  particular,  self-conscious  sinner  on  whom  his 
gaze  seemed  to  be  fixed.  Only  when  the  prayer  drew  to 
a  close  and  the  usual  plea  was  being  made  for  bodies 
politic  and  social,  when  in  gradually  widening  circles  the 
intercessory  entreaty  was  being  thrown  about  "  our 
city,  its  mayor,  our  state,  its  governor,  our  nation,  its 
statesmen  and  oft  misguided  legislators,  our  president," 
and  finally  about  the  world  and  the  universe  itself — then 
and  then  only  did  we  feel  assured  that,  in  its  concern  for 
great  and  infinite  affairs,  the  president's  mind  had  de- 
parted far  from  the  consideration  of  such  mites  as  us. 
Then  did  one  feel  safe  to  give  another  look  only  to  seek 
safety  in  a  quick  return  to  the  reverential  attitude — bury- 
ing the  head  like  the  stork — for  there  it  was,  open  and 
fixed  upon  your  inner  soul,  that  natural  looking  artificial 
organ  or  that  unnaturally  penetrating  natural  eye,  which 
it  mattered  not. 

Not  the  eye  alone,  however,  was  responsible  for  the 
control  which  he  exerted  over  all  those  who  came  in  con- 
tact with  him,  for  his  whole  presence  and  bearing  de- 
manded respect  and  obedience.  Tall  and  square,  quick 
of  glance,  ready  of  comprehension,  with  facial  expression 
apparently  always  under  volitional  control,  he  seemed 
ever  the  soldier.  It  was  not  necessary  to  regard  the  lit- 
tle G.  A.  R.  button  which  he  always  wore  in  his  lapel  to 
know  that  he  had  seen  service,  for  his  firm,  clear  voice 
and  sharply  enunciated  words  bespoke  the  oflficer,  and 
when  he  assumed  command  all  within  earshot — raw  re- 


466 


Memories  of  Brown 


cruits  and  old  comrades  alike — recognized  the  voice  of 
authority  and  stepped  into  line.  In  emergencies  his 
words  were  few  but  always  to  the  point  and  we  recall 
many  incidents  in  which  it  was  "  not  ours  to  question 
why." 

I  have  been  reminded  of  a  cane-rush  in  which  seniors 
and  juniors  united  in  inciting  the  two  lower  classes  to 


John  Nicholas  Brown  Gates  and  John  Carter  Brown  Library 


battle  for  supremacy.  The  juniors  backed  the  freshmen, 
the  seniors  egged  on  the  sophomores,  and  the  rival  classes 
finally  came  together  with  an  enthusiasm  of  spirit  and  a 
violence  of  impact  which  gave  promise  of  a  genuine,  old- 
fashioned  class  battle.  Hats  and  faces  had  already  been 
smashed  and  there  was  prospect  of  a  long,  fierce  and  soul- 
satisfying  scrimmage  when,  flapping  down  the  tar  walks. 


Memories  of  Brown  467 

came  Bennie  in  his  slippers.  Over  in  his  study  in  the 
president's  house,  since  demoHshed,  he  had  somehow  got 
scent  of  the  affair.  Seizing  the  men,  one  by  one,  by  the 
coat  collars  and  snapping  them  out  of  his  way,  he  walked 
into  the  midst  of  the  fray  and  in  a  voice  that  could  be  heard 
by  all  said,  "  Gentlemen,  I  wish  to  announce  that  there  will 
be  no  cane-rush  today  " — and  there  wasn't.  Immediately 
and  good  naturedly  the  boys  separated  and  went  to  their 
rooms,  stopping  only  to  give  a  rousing  cheer  for  Bennie. 

On  another  occasion  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  on 
the  field  of  collegiate  battle,  flushed  with  excitement,  with 
one  hand  on  the  coveted  cane,  a  freshman  struggles  fierce- 
ly. Swaying  now  this  way,  now  that  with  the  surging 
mob,  he  receives  suddenly  a  crack  on  the  back  of  the 
head  from  the  stick  of  some  infuriated  and  cowardly  soph. 
With  anger  exploding  in  his  heart,  with  the  determina- 
tion to  obtain  that  cane  or  die  in  the  attempt,  he  re- 
doubles his  exertions.     Suddenly  a  low  but  distinct  voice 

pierces  his  ear  drums.     "  Mr. ,  please  go  to  your  room 

at  once."  A  swift  turn  of  the  head  and  no  further  doubt 
remained  as  to  the  ownership  of  that  voice.  There  stood 
Bennie  in  neglige  costume,  a  cap  pulled  down  to  the  ears. 
Did  the  freshman  go  to  his  room  ?  Yes,  and  without 
thought  for  the  order  of  his  going.  Man  by  man,  called 
by  name  as  were  Napoleon's  soldiers,  the  battle-stained 
warriors  sought  the  privacy  of  their  chambers,  and  who 
won  the  cane  that  night  no  one  has  ever  heard,  but  it  is  the 
private  belief  of  many  that  Bennie  used  it  as  a  guide  on 
his  lonely  homeward  pathway. 

Many  were  the  rumors — possibly  exaggerated — as  to 
the  proportion  of  his  meagre  salary  which  he  each  year 
refused  to  accept,  preferring  to  turn  it  back  into  the  gen- 
eral fund  for  college  maintenance,  and  many  stories  have 
we  heard  of  professors  who,  approaching  him  with  tales 
of  the  crying  needs  of  their  departments,  were  told  that 


468  Memories  of  Brown 

the  necessary  money  would  be  forthcoming,  only  to  find 
later  that  it  had  been  supplied  from  his  own  pockets. 
How  much  he  gave  to  the  college  secretly  none  will  ever 
know  and  he  would  be  the  first  to  shrink  from  an  account- 
ing of  these  silent  gifts.  But  a  part  of  his  charities  could 
not  remain  hidden  and  since  certain  of  them  were  known 
to  us  all  there  is  no  indelicacy  in  recalling  them.  Wheth- 
er it  was  football,  baseball  or  the  general  athletic  fund 
which  was  short  of  money,  Bennie's  name  headed  the  list 
of  voluntary  subscriptions. 

Those  who  might  have  been  classed  among  the  needy 
students  do  not  need  to  be  reminded  of  his  thoughtful- 
ness.  As  winter  approached  certain  ones  were  sum- 
moned to  his  office.  Thoughts  of  misdeeds,  disgrace  and 
expulsion  flashed  across  their  minds,  but  let  the  unin- 
formed look  to  these  men  for  answer  when  it  is  asked 
why  the  mention  of  Bennie's  name  today  is  met  with 
cheer  on  cheer.  The  words  which  he  spoke  to  them 
were  so  tactful  and  frank  as  to  do  violence  to  no  feelings 

of  self-respect.     "  Mr. ,  I  fear  you  do  not  appreciate 

the  rigors  of  our  New  England  climate  ;  I  notice  that  you 
are  going  about  without  an  overcoat.  I  wish  to  inform 
you  that  there  are  a  number  of  ulsters  which  have  been 
placed  at  my  disposal  for  the  use  of  men  who  are  not  pre- 
pared for  our  cold  winters.  You  are  requested  to  make 
use  of  one."     Thus  did  Bennie  care  for  his  flock. 

In  time  of  trouble  he  was  a  tower  of  strength  to  those 
who  sought  his  aid.  College  days  are  said  to  be  the  hap- 
piest of  a  man's  life,  but  I  am  sure  that  if  the  truth  were 
demanded  many  would  have  to  testify  that  before  they 
came  to  Brown  and  after  they  had  graduated  the  stress  of 
life  was  often  less  painful  and  severe  than  in  those  years 
when  untried  and  inexperienced  we  had  to  fight  desper- 
ately to  hold  our  own.  The  maturing  age  is  often  enough 
trying  to  the  healthiest  boy  in  the  healthiest  of  circum- 


Memories  of  Brown  469 

stances,  but  where  the  inherited  mental  or  physical  con- 
stitution is  below  par  or  the  individual  experience  par- 
ticularly harsh  the  inrush  of  adolescent  feelings  and  ideas 
too  often  proves  to  be  an  overpowering  downward  deter- 
minant in  the  formation  of  character.  To  many  the  first 
year  in  college  is  especially  gruelling  and  certainly  there 
was  many  a  freshman,  who,  had  it  not  been  for  the  help 
of  E.  Benjamin  Andrews,  must  have  fallen  at  that  time 
from  the  ranks. 

But  it  is  in  the  sophomore  year  that  the  student  needs 
especially  the  example  and  guidance  of  an  older  and  wiser 
man.  In  junior  and  senior  years  the  student  could  come 
directly  under  the  teaching  of  Dr.  Andrews  and  sit  in  his 
classroom,  but  I  venture  to  say  that  in  no  year  did  the 
president  exert  a  more  powerful  influence  over  his 
charges  than  in  their  sophomoric  terms.  In  my  day  he 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  of  lOO  whose  duty  it  was 
to  study  and  suppress  so  far  as  possible  the  vice  of  the  city 
of  Providence.  It  was  not  considered  safe  to  approach  a 
roulette  table  or  to  seek  to  ascertain  by  experience  the  dif- 
ference between  a  "Tom  Collins"  and  a  "  John  Collins" 
as  served  over  the  bar  of  the  Mahogany  Palace,  for  was  it 
not  known  that  Bennie  had  suddenly  appeared  in  this  or 
that  resort  at  various  times  and  after  a  swift  glance  of 
recognition  at  such  students  as  happened  to  be  present 
had  warned  the  proprietors  sternly  that  swift  punishment 
would  surely  overtake  them  if  they  encouraged  the  visits 
of  Brown  students.  Such  were  the  rumors  ;  whether  they 
had  any  basis  in  fact  I  do  not  know,  but  I  believe  there 
are  many  authentic  instances  of  wayward  youths  who 
were  summoned  to  the  president's  ofifice  and  taken  to  task 
for  riotous  nocturnal  adventures. 

That  he  habitually  visited  the  students  in  their  rooms 
is  a  fact  for  which  the  experience  of  many  can  vouch  and 
it  was  commonly  believed  that  he  planned  to  call  at  least 


470 


Memories  of  Brown 


once  each  year  at  every  room  on  the  campus.  The  re- 
straining influence  arising  from  such  visits,  prospective 
and  actual,  can  easily  be  imagined.     Many  a  time   were 


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Sayles  Hall  and  Lyman  Gymnasium 
Marcus  Aurelius  Statue  at  the  left 


the  cards  and  beer  bottles  hustled  out  of  sight  and  youth- 
ful heads  suddenly  buried  in  books  at  the  sound  of  afoot- 
step  in  the  corridor  or  at  the  news  that  Bennie  had  been 
seen  entering  or  leaving  a  neighboring  room. 

As  an  adviser,  guardian,  censor,  friend  and  helper  he 


Memories  of  Brown  -  471 

won  and  held  the  soft  spots  in  every  student's  heart  and 
though  it  was  known  that  he  could  be  a  stern  and  un- 
yielding disciplinarian  every  man  felt  that  in  time  of 
trouble  and  need  he  would  not  turn  to  Bennie  in  vain  for 
comfort  and  guidance.  Those  he  found  it  necessary  to 
rebuke  came  away  without  bitterness  or  malice  toward 
him  and  indeed  he  often  took  the  sting  from  his  reproof 
with  a  pleasantry  or  an  offer  of  material  assistance  to  the 
student  in  difficulty.  A  Ninety-seven  man  gives  the  fol- 
lowing illustration  of  the  way  in  w^hich  Dr.  Andrews 
tempered  his  justice : 

"  One  of  my  friends  was  accustomed  to  receive  each 
term  through  the  office  an  allowance  of  money,  a  part  of 
which  was  applied  to  his  college  bill  and  the  remainder 
turned  over  to  him.  Having  been  at  considerable  extra 
expense  one  term,  he  went  to  the  president  and  asked  that 
for  once  the  whole  amount  might  be  passed  over  to  him, 
promising  to  pay  his  college  bill  within  a  stipulated  time. 
Bennie  at  once  proceeded  to  rebuke  him  sharply  for  put- 
ting any  other  obligation  before  his  indebtedness  to  the 
college,  and  peremptorily  refused  the  request.  He  closed 
the  interview,  however,  by  saying,  '  If  you  need  a  little 

money  just  now,  Mr. ■,  I   will   lend  you   some.     How 

much  do  you  need  ?  '  The  student  told  him  and  Bennie 
passed  over  the  amount." 

In  work  and  play  he  was  a  constant  inspiration.  The 
amount  of  labor  which  he  performed  was  marvellous  and 
yet  he  seemed  always  to  find  time  for  his  regular  exercise 
and  recreation.  He  taught  and  practised  method  with- 
out becoming  tied  down  to  a  soul-killing  routine.  Late 
into  the  night  his  study  light  was  seen  burning  and  the 
night-prowling  students  climbing  wearily  up  College  Hill, 
long  after  the  cable  car  had  made  its  last  trip,  often  won- 
dered what  was  Bennie's  bedtime.  It  was  never  safe  to 
conclude  that  the  study  light  meant  that  he  was  buried 


472  Memories  of  Brown 

in  his  books  for  he  had  a  habit  of  taking  a  late  stroll  be- 
fore retiring  and  many  a  time  and  oft  in  the  stilly  night 
as  the  careless  student  started  to  break  forth  in  ribald 
song,  he  received  from  a  comrade  a  punch  in  the  ribs  and 
a  warning  that  Bennie  was  pursuing  a  parallel  course  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  street.  At  such  times  it  was 
often  difficult  to  recognize  him  for  he  had  a  way  of  dis- 
carding at  night  the  tall  hat  and  presidential  dress,  wear- 
ing instead  a  cap  pulled  down  over  the  eyes  and  a  short 
coat  which  changed  his  appearance  remarkably.  He  was 
a  stickler  for  correct  dress  and  openly  taught  that  it  was 
a  man's  duty  to  set  off  to  best  advantage  such  charms  of 
person  as  had  been  vouchsafed  him,  but  he  did  not  hesitate 
under  cover  of  the  dark  and  in  moments  of  relaxation  to 
go  forth  in  such  unconventional  garb  as  to  cause  his  stu- 
dents to  regard  with  suspicion  every  tramp  on  College 
Hill.  Apropos  of  this  disguise  a  Seventy-nine  graduate 
has  this  story  to  tell : 

"  It  was  a  bleak  winter's  night ;  a  veritable  blizzard  was 
on  and  the  streets  were  wellnigh  deserted.  President 
Andrews,  clad  in  an  old  reefer  and  a  slouched  hat,  worn 
well  down  over  the  eyes,  was  taking  his  customary  walk 
down  College  Hill,  up  Westminster  street  to  the  monu- 
ment and  back  down  Weybosset  street.  At  the  corner 
of  Snow  street  a  rough-looking  character  stepped  out  and 
somewhat  threateningly  accosted  him  with,  '  Say,  Mister, 
give  me  a  dime  to  get  a  night's  lodging.'  The  president 
thrust  his  hand  in  his  pocket,  fumbled  about  mechanical- 
ly for  a  minute  and  then  replied,  '  My  man,  I  haven't  a 
cent.'  The  hobo  looked  him  over  critically  until,  reas- 
sured by  his  inspection,  he  said,  '  Say,  pard,  come  around 
the  corner  and  have  a  drink  with  me.  I've  got  some 
money.'  " 

However  late  he  may  have  gone  to  bed,  he  was  always 
punctual    to  the  minute  for  chapel   each   morning,  and 


Memories  of  Brown  473 

many  students  timed  their  hurried  preparations  for  morn- 
ing devotions  by  his  appearance  on  the  walk  leading  to 
the  chapel  doors,  knowing  it  would  be  just  so  many  min- 
utes before  the  doors  were  closed  against  the  late  comers. 

He  taught  method,  punctuality  and  industry.  He 
urged  his  students  to  make  use  of  spare  moments.  The 
hours  so  frequently  wasted  in  the  cars  during  travel  he 
maintained  should  be  put  to. good  use  and  he  declared  that 
a  poorly  lighted  car  or  hotel  chamber  offered  no  ex- 
cuse for  idleness,  for  it  was  a  matter  of  but  small  ex- 
pense to  furnish  one's  self  with  a  pocket  reading  lamp  or 
bull's-eye  lantern  whereby  excellent  illumination  could  be 
obtained  at  any  time. 

He  encouraged  systematization  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  he  would  have  been  an  enthusiastic  advocate  of  the 
card  catalogue  system  had  it  been  in  vogue  in  those  days, 
for  it  was  his  custom  to  describe  to  the  students  his 
method  of  preserving  memoranda  for  ready  reference. 
"No  matter  what  the  subject  on  which  you  seek  to  col- 
lect knowledge  or  the  function  in  which  you  desire  facil- 
ity and  proficiency,  the  method  is  the  same.  Pocket 
notebooks — the  Star  variety  answers  the  purpose  excel- 
lently— can  be  purchased  for  a  cent  each.  Suppose  you 
wish  to  become  a  good  after-dinner  speaker :  when  you 
hear  a  good  story  or  read  some  humorous  anecdote  you 
jot  down  a  note  or  two  in  your  pocket  notebook  and  at 
night  you  file  your  acquisition  under  an  appropriate  head- 
ing in  cheap  boxes  which  can  be  arranged  about  your 
study  walls.  You  will  be  surprised  at  the  size  and  useful- 
ness of  the  collection  which  you  can  make  in  a  short 
time." 

But  Bennie  was  not  all  work  and  he  somehow  found 
leisure  to  attend  most  or  all  of  the  college  games,  where 
his  eager,  enthusiastic  bearing  and  boyish  cheer  inspired 
every  player  to  the  utmost  exertion  in  the  effort  to  win  a 


474  Memories  of  Brown 

victory.  In  the  fall  when  the  men  were  engaged  in  foot- 
ball practice  he  was  frequently  to  be  seen  on  the  side 
lines.  He  knew  every  player  by  his  first  name  or  nick- 
name as  well  as  by  his  surname. 

He  believed  thoroughly  in  the  development  of  physical 
strength,  and  encouraged  both  by  precept  and  example 


E.  Benjamin  Andrews,  1870 
President  of  Brown  University,  1889 


all  forms  of  bodily  exercise.  He  was  enthusiastic  over 
the  opening  of  the  new  Lyman  Gymnasium  and  many  an 
indolent  student  w^as  put  to  shame  by  the  sight  of  Bennie 
in  gymnasium  suit  working  away  with  pulley  weights  and 
dumb-bells. 

It  will  not  be  amiss  here  to  repeat  one  or  two  of  his 
tales,  for,  to  one  who  has  heard  him  tell  them,  these  stories 


Memories  of  B?^own  475 

will  bring'  to  mind  only  the  more  vividly  the  picture  of 
the  man  himself  with  his  characteristic  gestures,  his  dry, 
forceful  enunciation,  his  sober  face  with  its  twinkling  eye 
and  barely  repressed  smile  of  humor  striving  to  bend  into 
relaxed  curves  the  well-controlled  lines  about  his  strong 
mouth.  No  matter  how  moss-grown  the  tale  nor  how 
often  we  had  heard  it,  from  his  mouth  it  seemed  ever  fresh 
and  new-cut  in  the  telling.  His  delivery  was  wellnigh  in- 
imitable. He  had  a  way  of  pursing  his  lips  and  of  swiftly 
protruding  and  retracting  his  tongue  as  the  climax  was 
approached  and,  however  difificult  it  may  be  to  analyze 
the  zest  and  charm  which  these  facial  gestures  added  to 
the  narrative,  there  is  no  doubt  that  they  would  have  sup- 
plied sufificient  action  had  his  hands  been  tied  behind  his 
back.  To  the  delight  of  all  except  the  most  finical  of  his 
hearers  he  frequently  used  terms  which  from  any  other 
mouth  spoken  in  any  other  way  w^ould  have  sounded 
differently.  I  remember  well  how  in  one  of  his  sermons 
there  was  an  audible  gasp  from  his  congregation  and 
a  sharp  catching  of  the  breath  when  after  describing 
the  almost  unspeakable  machinations  of  certain  political 
vermin  he  suddenly  exclaimed,  "  I  af^rm  that  were  I  to 
offer  up  a  prayer  for  the  souls  of  these  beings,  I  would 
cry — with  all  due  reverence  —  O  God  !  damn  such  crea- 
tures." 

A  member  of  the  class  of  Ninety  says:  "One  day  he 
gave  in  senior  class  his  version  of  the  historic  monkey 
and  parrot  episode.  I  have  never  heard  it  just  the  same 
from  anyone  else.  As  nearly  as  I  can  remember  it  went 
like  this :  A  monkey  was  much  annoyed  at  a  parrot  be- 
cause of  its  incessant  chatter.  The  monkey  stood  it  as 
long  as  he  could,  and  then  attacked  the  bird,  with  results 
highly  disastrous  to  the  latter.  When  the  fracas  was 
over,  the  owner,  opening  the  door  of  the  room,  saw  the 
parrot   on   its   perch,  smoothing   its   feathers  as  best   it 


476  Memories  of  Brown 

might,  and  heard  it  say  to  itself,  most  mournfully,  '  O  God, 
I  talk  too  much  !'" 

The  following  story  also  was  told  to  the  members  of 
the  class  of  1890  in  their  senior  year.  It  was  about  a 
bootblack  in  Cincinnati.  The  boy  was  polishing  a  man's 
shoes  in  the  railway  station  and  the  man  asked  him  what 
time  the  next  train  went.  No  answer;  the  question  was 
repeated.  Again  no  answer  and  again  the  question. 
Finally  a  bystander  intervened.  "  Don't  you  see  the  boy 
is  deaf  ?  "  "  I  don't  care  if  he  is,"  exclaimed  the  first 
man  petulantly, "  he  needn't  be  so  damned  stiff  about  it." 

Here  is  another  story,  the  scene  laid  in  a  faculty  meet- 
ing with  President  Andrews  presiding.  Professor  A. 
speaks,  "  Mr.  President,  I  would  like  information  in  re- 
gard to  Mr.  I.,  a  student  in  the  sophomore  class,  who  failed 
to  pass  my  examination." 

President.  "  Can  any  member  of  the  faculty  give  Pro- 
fessor A.  the  information  for  which  he  asks?  " 

Professor  B.     "  He  failed  to  pass  in  my  examination." 

Professor  C.     "  He  failed  in  mine." 

Professor  D.    "  He  failed  in  mine." 

Professor  E.     "  He  failed  in  mine." 

President  (thoughtfully)  "  I  don't  really  believe  Mr. 
I.  could  pass  a  post-mortem  examination." 

In  1885-86  Dr.  Andrews  established  an  elective  in  ad- 
vanced political  economy.  There  were  about  twenty  men 
who  took  the  course.  They  used  as  a  sort  of  textbook  a 
collection  of  questions  by  Professor  Sumner  of  Yale,  and 
these  questions  were  answered  by  students  —  or  attempts 
were  made  to  answer  them  —  with  discussions.  One 
question  related  to  "over-consumption."  "That  reminds 
me,"  said  Dr.  Andrews,  after  the  question  had  been  read 
and  the  usual  pause  had  ensued,  "  of  a  colored  boy  who 
used  to  work  for  me  in  the  army.     He  offered  to  bet  that 


Memories  of  Brown  All 

he  could  eat  oysters  faster  than  I  could  open  them.  I 
took  the  bet.  Then  I  seized  the  chisel  and  opened  an 
oyster.  He  gulped  it  down  like  a  flash.  I  stopped  and 
looked  at  him  while  he  waited  for  more.  'Well,'  said  I, 
'why  don't  you  go  ahead?'  It  took  that  score  of  men 
about  two  seconds,  while  they  held  their  breath,  to  con- 
nect this  with  the  '  over-consumption  '  of  Professor  Sum- 
ner. Then  with  one  accord  they  'wooded  up.' "  The 
facilities  for  so  doing  were  considerable,  as  those  who  re- 
member the  old  recitation-room  in  Manning  Hall  with  its 
wooden  tables  and  chairs  will  recall. 

For  the  upper-classmen  was  reserved  the  high  privilege 
of  listening  day  after  day  to  the  presidential  wisdom.  Dr. 
Andrews's  course  in  universal  history  was  interesting,  but 
they  who  answered  to  the  rollcall  in  his  classes  on  ethics 
and  political  economy  derived  benefits  wich  are  engrafted 
into  the  very  fibre  of  their  mental  and  moral  being.  There 
was  a  quiet  dignity  and  power  in  the  atmosphere  of  the 
classroom  but  none  of  that  stiffness  and  formality  which 
so  often  prevent  frank  discussion  between  teacher  and 
pupil,  and  dull  the  edge  of  youthful  interest.  He  had  by 
this  time  become  well  acquainted  with  the  habits  and 
characteristics  of  his  students  and  frequently  provoked 
general  merriment  by  some  personal  thrust  —  never,  how- 
ever, using  a  barb  on  his  lance.  Percy  Jenks,  for  example, 
will  recall  the  morning  on  which  he  came  late  to  class. 
It  was  a  Monday  morning  and  President  Andrews  knew 
that  Jenks  frequently  went  home  on  Saturday,  returning 
on  Monday  morning,  by  a  train  which  was  occasionally  a 
trifle  late,  thus  causing  him  to  be  tardy  at  recitation.  As 
Jenks  appeared  in  the  doorway  and  looked  about  in  some 
confusion  at  the  already  occupied  seats.  President  An- 
drews suddenly  paused  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence  and 
said,  "  Mr.  C,  will  you  kindly  bring  Mr.  Jenks  a  chair, — 
and,  Mr.  C,  an  easy  chair,  please." 


478 


M 


em  ones  o 


ofB 


rown 


Perhaps  many  will  think  that  we  ought  to  avoid  sub- 
jects which  seem  to  be  under  taboo  in  many  Brunonian 
circles  where  men  frequently  falter  and  are  silent  when 
the  reasons  for  Dr.  Andrews's  departure  from  Brown  are 
broached.  But  if  any  have  a  right  to  speak  it  is  they  who, 
in  the  years  immediately  preceding  his  resignation,  listened 


Van  Wickle  Gates  in  Winter 

daily  to  the  very  words  the  publication  of  which  caused 
bitterness  and  misunderstanding  in  high  places.  It  would 
be  poor  judgment  to  run  the  risk,  merely  from  the  love  of 
dissention  and  controversy,  of  stirring  up  an  issue  now 
dead  and  yet  it  would  be  weak  loyalty  to  Dr.  Andrews, 
in  a  chapter  of  this  sort,  to  pass  in  silence,  as   though 


Memories  of  Brown  479 

there  were  some  shame  in  them,  the  doctrines  which  no 
amount  of  pressure  could  prevent  him  from  teaching.  It 
was  his  duty  to  teach  and  he  taught  what  he  beHeved  in. 
Let  the  over-sensitive  then  pause  here,  for  we  are  about 
to  indulge  in  reminiscences  of  classroom  discussions  of 
which  we  can  today  think  with  delight  just  as  we  found 
pleasure  in  them  in  those  other  days  even  though  the 
bug-a-boos  of  finance,  free  coinage  of  silver  and  bimetal- 
lism, were  served  without  a  poison  label  to  our  supposedly 
receptive  minds. 

Dr.  Andrews  had  for  years  advocated  for  our  monetary 
system  certain  changes,  a  part  of  which  were  later  incor- 
porated in  the  Bryan  campaign  platform.  The  subsequent 
defeat  of  Bryan  showed  that  the  majority  of  the  American 
public  looked  upon  these  views  as  vicious  and  Dr.  An- 
drews himself  is  said  later  to  have  announced  that,  having 
learned  that  he  had  been  misinformed  as  to  the  rapid 
decrease  in  the  gold  supply,  the  chief  premiss  upon  which 
he  had  built  his  argument  for  bimetallism  had  lost  its 
force  and  he  had  become  convinced  of  the  fallacy  of  his 
previously  held  opinions.  But  while  it  was  yet  undecided 
what  disposition  might  be  made  of  these  theories  at  the 
polls  and  men  of  capital  were  trembling  lest  the  Bryanites 
might  hurl  the  country  into  financial  ruin.  Dr.  Andrews 
was  requested  to  desist  from  public  advertisement  of  his 
sympathy  with  the  free-silver  movement.  It  was  feared 
that  his  attitude  towards  these  political  issues  might 
work  to  the  detriment  of  the  college.  This  is  not  the 
place  to  question  the  righteousness  of  the  demand  upon 
Dr.  Andrews,  which  at  the  very  outset,  by  reason  of  the 
nature  of  the  man,  could  result  only  in  his  resignation. 
The  effect  of  his  teachings  upon  the  college  treasury 
can  only  be  judged  by  those  to  whom  the  financial 
welfare  of  the  college  had  been  entrusted ;  but  they  who, 
from  personal  experience,  know  the  effect  of  his  teachings 


480  Memories  of  Brown 

upon  the  student  mind  and  character  will  testify  with  one 
accord  that  misgivings  thereat  were  groundless  and  anxious 
emotions  wasted  if  such  played  any  part  in  the  delibera- 
tions of  the  authorities. 

After  all,  I  suppose  no  one  will  deny  that  the  chief 
function  of  a  college  president  is  to  direct  the  training  of 
the  student  mind  and  to  build  up  immature  character; 
and  as  a  master  workman  in  the  construction  of  man- 
hood, E.  Benjamin  Andrews  was  God's  own  foreman. 

Striplings  that  we  were,  without  voice  and  without  in- 
fluence, we  could  yet  look  beyond  the  doctrines  to  the 
man  himself  and,  though  young  and  impressionable,  could 
postpone  judgment  on  the  questions  which  he  propounded 
while  we  were  thrilled  to  the  soul  by  the  personality  and 
example  of  the  man  who  dared  to  be  honest  with  himself 
at  the  cost  of  public  disapproval.  True,  he  preached  free 
silver,  but  he  also  preached  free  trade  and  single  taxation 
as  have  college  professors  the  world  over,  and  he  preached 
a  host  of  other  gospels  many  of  which  the  world  is  not  yet 
ready  to  put  into  practice.  He  was  a  man  born  before 
his  day  and  generation  ;  his  voice  was  that  of  one  crying 
in  the  wilderness  foretelling  things  which  may  yet  come 
to  pass.  His  students  listened  with  bated  breath  to  pre- 
cepts of  which  they  recognized  the  ultimate  truth  and 
then  voted,  as  did  their  fathers,  for  practical  protection,  a 
gold  standard  and  conservative  politics. 

I  am  glad  that  my  pen  in  its  headlong  rush  to  record 
the  thronging  memories  of  "  Bennie  "  has  neglected  till 
the  last  the  most  important  of  all.  To  his  class  in  ethics 
he  expounded  principles  for  the  guidance  of  men  on 
their  journey  through  life.  Live,  burning  questions  he 
took  up  with  unfaltering  grasp  and,  holding  them  fear- 
lessly in  the  fierce  white  glow  of  truth,  reduced  them  to 
their  most  primitive  ethical  elements. 

He  asked  no  one  to  accept  his  way  of  thinking  or  of 


Memories  of  BrowTi  481 

action,  but  he  branded  upon  the  soul  of  every  man  the  es- 
sential laws  of  moral  conduct  reduced  to  their  last  analy- 
sis. 

Take  for  example  his  views  of  falsehood.  As  a  physi- 
cian I  have  times  without  number  found  myself  in  cir- 
cumstances where  it  has  been  necessary  to  decide  instantly 
whether  I  had  the  right  to  tell  an  untruth,  or  indeed  the 
right  to  tell  the  truth,  as  when  asked  by  a  sick  wife  con- 
cerning the  health  of  her  husband  still  more  grievously 
ill ;  or  again,  when  questioned  by  a  mother  as  to  the  cause 
of  a  son's  disorders.  At  such  times  the  question  as  pro- 
pounded by  Dr.  Andrews,  "  Is  a  lie  ever  justifiable  ? "  has 
obtruded  itself  upon  my  conscience  and,  as  for  many  of 
the  other  questions  which  he  gave  to  himself  to  answer, 
I  cannot  today  recall  either  an  unqualified  "  No  "  or  "  Yes." 
All  who  have  had  experience  upon  the  witness  stand 
have  learned  that  there  are  many  questions  which  cannot 
be  answered  by  a  simple  negative  or  aflfirmative.  But  I 
know  that  in  regard  to  the  white  lie  as  for  all  else  in  life 
he  taught  a  broader  doctrine  than  blind  adherence  to  an 
arbitrary  verbal  formula.  For  the  criterion  of  judgment 
he  looked  beyond  and  underneath  the  words  to  the  spirit, 
the  motive,  the  moral  intent.  He  gave  no  such  simple 
rule  as  might  permit  a  man  to  become,  like  a  calculating 
machine,  a  mere  automatic  truth-teller  or  a  mechanism  of 
lawful  behavior ;  he  commanded  us  to  develop  unselfish- 
ness and  to  examine  our  souls  for  the  data  upon  which 
to  base  conduct. 

In  regard  to  intemperance  as  in  many  other  matters  he 
pointed  his  moral  with  a  personal  reminiscence  of  war- 
time experience.  Said  he:  "  The  excuses  given  by  the 
habitual  drinker  to  mitigate  the  possible  charge  of  intem- 
perance are  insuf^cient  and  so  contradictory  as  to  be  al- 
most amusing.  Thus,  the  stoker,  working  in  the  intense 
heat  of  the  ship's  boiler-room,  assures  you  with  all  serious- 


482 


M, 


em  ones  o 


o/B 


rown 


ness  that  in  such  temperatures  no  man  could  long  survive 
without  his  regular  drink  ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  hack- 
driver,  exposed  to  winter's  cold,  insists  that  he  would  die 
if  his  body  were  not  warmed  with  a  good  stiff  brandy  or 


The   Marcus  Aurelius  Statue 
Unveiled  June  1,  1908 


whiskey.  Physiology  teaches  that  alcohol  taken  while  a 
man  is  subjected  to  cold  merely  sends  the  blood  to  the 
surface  of  the  body  where,  though  it  relieves  the  person 
of  some  of  his  feeling  of  cold,  it  becomes  still  further  cooled 
and  thus  increases  the  danger  of  freezing.  I  have  been 
assured  that  Arctic  explorers  are  careful  not  to  permit 


Memories  of  Brow?i  483 

their  men  to  be  exposed  to  alcohol  and  at  the  same  time 
to  extreme  cold.  And  as  I  look  back  to  war  days,  I  recall 
certain  of  the  men  who  were  accustomed  to  carry  their 
flasks  and  in  times  of  stress  to  stimulate  their  flagging 
energies  with  frequent  tipples.  When,  however,  the  real 
hours  of  suffering  came,  when  heartbreaking  marches 
were  ordered,  or  prolonged  watches  demanded,  the  tipplers 
fell  by  the  wayside  and  sank  helplessly  into  the  trenches." 

On  the  chapel  steps,  that  last  afternoon  of  our  college 
course,  as  we  gathered  to  sing  our  songs  once  more  there 
was  more  of  sadness  than  of  joy  in  our  singing;  for  what- 
ever of  satisfaction  may  have  been  experienced  at  a  long 
task  ended,  and  however  inviting  the  vista  of  post-gradu- 
ate life,  who  was  there  but  felt  some  pain  that  the  parting 
of  the  ways  had  been  reached  so  soon  and  a  deep  regret 
that  in  the  next  march  down  College  Hill  we  were  to 
leave  Alma  Mater  and  her  rich  associations  !  But  if  the 
idle  ones  who  tarried  to  listen  to  those  old  songs  could 
have  followed  the  strained,  far-away  look  visible  upon  so 
many  of  the  seniors'  faces,  they  might  have  discerned 
arising  through  the  mist  of  parting  tears,  a  vision  —  the 
image  of  a  man  —  treading  the  old  walks,  with  squared 
shoulders  and  hands  clasped  behind  his  back,  clad  in  a 
gray  frock  coat,  wearing  a  light  colored  beaver  hat  over 
a  grave  face  whose  eye  and  mouth  once  seen  could  never 
be  forgotton  —  a  face  indicative  perhaps  above  all  else  of 
a  man  of  sorrows,  but  one  in  which  grief  had  molded 
sweetness  of  expression  and  chiselled  lines  of  highest 
bravery  and  determination.  Leaving  Brown  caused  sad- 
ness ;  leaving  Bennie  brought  pain. 

Many  of  us  saw  him  in  the  years  that  followed  gradua- 
tion, and  at  various  alumni  reunions  how  we  made  the 
welkin  ring  as  he  rose  to  address  us  once  more.  And  how 
we  tingled  to  our  very  toe-tips  when,  as  we  sought  to 
grasp  his  hand,  he  said  "  Jones,  Brown" — calling  each  by 


484  Memories  of  B 


rown 


name  as  of  old  — "  I  hear  very  good  things  of  you  ;  keep  it 
up. 

A  Brown  student,  a  Brown  soldier,  a  Brown  professor, 
a  Brown  president,  a  Brown  man  he  was  and  is  to  the 
core.  Other  fields  called  him  and  students  other  than 
those  of  Brown  have  known  and  loved  him.  We  do  not 
begrudge  them  their  portion  of  his  life  and  services  nor 
question  the  sincerity  of  their  loyalty,  but  we  claim  him  as 
ours  by  right  of  blood.  A  son  of  Brown,  a  father  to 
Brown,  as  such  and  as  a  brother,  too,  and  comrade  we 
knew  him.  No  celebration  was  complete  until  we  had 
gathered  about  the  president's  house  and  called  upon  him 
to  address  us.  We  cheered  him  now  as  "  Prexy,"  now  as 
"  Bennie,"  and  again  with  that  call  whose  echo  still  lin- 
gers and  shall  ever  pulsate  in  and  through  the  hoary  walls 
and  elms  of  Brown  : 

"  Andrews  —  Andrews  —  Andrews.  Rah  !  Rah !  Rah  L 
Brown ! " 

William  McDonald,  M.  D.,  i8gs. 


EPILOGUE 

TMESE  "Memories  of  Brown  "  are  presented  by 
many  contributors  in  order  to  recall  and  preserve 
incidents,  manners  and  personalities  in  the  by- 
gone life  at  Brown.  No  claim  of  completeness  is  made, 
since  to  almost  every  reader  this  book  must  be  only  a  key 
to  unlock  the  serried  cells  of  closed  remembrances  and 
to  touch  with  light  once  more  scores  of  personal  experi- 
ences and  associations  long  unthought-of  and  too  many 
and  intimate  to  come  within  the  scope  of  this  volume.  If 
it  thus  proves  to  be  suggestive,  if  it  evokes  an  involuntary 
smile,  if  it  brightens  a  passing  hour  with  pleasant  retro- 
spect, if  it  polishes  the  surface  of  memory  so  that  the  old 
college  scenes  are  again  clearly  reflected  in  transforming 
light,  then  the  labor  of  those  who  have  produced  it  will 
be  amply  repaid. 

The  effort  of  a  single  mind  would  have  resulted  in  a 
more  connected  narrative  and  held  to  a  closer  historic  se- 
quence, but  also  might  have  proved  monotonous ;  the  in- 
terest and  piquancy  of  this  attempt  to  reproduce  the  past 
has  seemed  to  depend  largely  on  the  difference  of  style 
and  the  divergence  of  the  angle  of  view  of  very  many  nar- 
rators to  whom  the  Brown  campus  at  one  time  or  another 
has  been  a  home. 

A  peculiar  charm  surrounds  the  college  life  of  any  man 
with  a  modicum  of  imagination  and  fancy.  In  these 
halcyon  days  health  ministers  to  the  exuberance  of  youth, 
hope  spreads  her  iridescent  wings  and  ambition  seizes  the 
hand  of  honest  effort  to  lead  it  on  and  up.  Then  aca- 
demic  freedom   gives   the   first   lively  sense  of  personal 


486 


M, 


em  ones  o 


fB, 


rown 


liberty  and  responsibility,  and  the  love  of  a  scholarly 
life  first  dawns  upon  the  passing  boy.  If  there  be  any 
college  man  who  takes  no  pleasure  in  a  far  backward 
look,  let  him  read  these  Memories  of  Brown  until  he 
makes  them  his  own  and  believes  that  all  this  happened 
to  him.  Let  him  live  the  scenes  and  tell  the  tales  and 
feel  the  sensation  of  enthusiasm  and  loyalty  and  unselfish 
and  unending  friendship  here  recorded,  and  be  born  again 
into  the  Kingdom  of  Joy. 

R.  P.  B. 


J-;-om  a  cop,,n,fl,lt,l  ,1,-awln,,  l,n  tlie  \r.,.Miir:,-Cht:il;n  O,..   If,,,-.., ,,;«■,  .V. 


Brown  University  in   1908 


N 


D 


X 


Abbott,  Samuel  W.,  "58 

The  Col/fi^v  Water  Supply  in  the 
Fifties,  1 33,  134 

Junior  Burials,  'SJ-'jQ.  125-132 

Jolm  Hay  as  a   Parodist  of  Em- 
erson, 135,  136 
Alpha  Delta  Phi 

celebration,  1857,  163 

chapter  organized,  74,  75 
"  Alma  Mater."  origin,  185,  186 
Amherst  l)aseball  team, 

portrait,  3<)2 
Andrews,  Pres.  E.  Benjamin,  '70 

anecdotes  of  417.  418,428,  429,472, 

474-477 

and  free  silver,  478-480 

as  teacher  of  ethics.  480-483 

generosity,  467-469 

interest  in  athletics,  473.  474 

memory.  463.  464 

personality,  464-467 

popularity     with     students     and 

alumni,  418,  419 
portraits  (1870).    249,  474 
Angell,  Pres.  James  B.,  '49 

IMien  President  Angell  was  a 
Student,  83-92 

portraits,  90,  166 
"Angell  Cradle" 

(W.  VV.  Keen,  '59),  165,  166 

(John  Hay.  "58),  167 
Arnold,  Hon.  Samuel  (}.,  "41 

defends  fraternities,  192 
"  Atalanta,"  racing  shell,  273 
Athenaeum.  Providence 

view,  136 

Bailey,  Prof.  William  W.,  '64 
In    Brown  s    Centennial     i  'ear, 

202-206 
The  Old   Textbook  Burials,  207, 

208 
portrait,  203 
Bancroft,  Prof.  Timothy  W.,  '59 
anecdotes  of,  263,    264,  339,   390, 

391,  415,  416,  433 
portrait,  391 
Banjo  Club,  1888 

portrait,  434 
Barker,  Isaac  B. 

mstructor,  259,  260 
Barrows,  Arthur  C,  '85 

•■  Something  Doing'"  in  the  Eight- 
ies. 406-408 


Bartlett,  William  P.,  '78 

Afarrying     before     Graduation, 

339, 340 

Barton,  Ira  M.,  '19 
Horace  Mann.  rS/g,  41,42 

Baseball 

championship  team  in  '79,  363 
games   with    Harvard,    233,   234, 

363 

game  with  Princeton,  453 

games  with  Yale,  364,  365 

grounds,  situation,  361,  367 

instituted  at  Brown,  232 

played   on   middle   campus,    251, 
252,  361 

'varsity  team,  '79,  portrait,  364 

'varsity  team,  ''80,  portrait,  362 
Bates,  Clarence  S. 

principal  in  duel,  140-150 
"  Beanery,"  352 
Bell  and  Bonfre  (A.  T.  Swift,  "89) 

420-423 
Bell  nngmg,  377-381,  421-423 
Bicknell,  Thomas  W.,  '60 

Initiation  into  the  '■'^  Phils,''  168, 
169 
Bicycle  Club,  1887 

portrait,  432 
Blake,  Prof.  Eli  W.,  h.  '95 

interest  in  physics,  330,  331 

portrait,  295 
Blizzard  of  1888,  427 
Board,  cost  of,  38 
Boarding  clubs,  313,  314 
Boardman,  George  D.,  '52 

Recollections  of  President  M 'ay- 
land,  94,  95 
Boating  at  Brown  (G.  T.  Brown,  73) 

272-284 
Boathouse,  old,  view,  273 

university,  view,  275 
Boating  Association,  274,  275 
Boise,  Prof.  James  R.,  '40,  84 
Bonfires,  341-347,  406-408 

forbidden  by  Pres.  Robinson,  344 

wagon  burning,  373-377,  37^,  379, 
426 
Bonnet,  Tale  of  the  (W.  R.   Perce, 

'65,)  237-244 
Bowen,  Horatio  Ci.,  1797,  Librarian 

portrait,  52 
Bowen,  William  M.  P.,  '84 

classroom  memorie.s,  392 
Bradley,  Charles  S.,  '38,  73 


488 


Memories  of  Brown 


Bronson,  Frank  M.,  '84 

Coiifessio/!s    of   a   Salutatorian, 
401-403 
Brown,  George  T.,  '73 

Boating  at  Brown,  272-2S4 
Brown,  John  Carter 

portrait,  159 
Brown,  John  Nicholas,  '85 

portrait,  164 
Brown,  Robert  P.,  71 

The  Old    College   Well.  256-258 

The  Barker  Hoax  and  a  Visit 
from  Two  Great  Generals,  2  59, 
260 

The  Great  American  Traveller, 
261,  262 

Two  Bancroft  Stories,  263,  264 

TheGlorions  Class  of i8j  i  .zb^-z-]  \ 
Brown,  William  L.,  "36 

Memories  of  t8j2-j6,  57-60 
Brown,  Col.  W.  W. 

Residence  on  Front  Campus,  202, 
203 
Broiun   at  the    Close  of  the  Fifties 

(W.  W.  Keen,  '59),  160-165 
"Brown  Paper,"  185,  186 
Brown  Union 

see  Rockefeller  Hall 
Brunonia  Hall,  view,  447 
Burges,  Tristam,  1796,  23 

portrait,  22 
Burgess,  Isaac  B.,  '83 

Pres.  Robinson  s  Terse  Philosohpy 

385-389 
Burials 
odes,  128,  129,  131,  132 
programmes,  facsimile,  127,  130 
Whately  and  Spalding,  207,  20S, 
126-130 
Burnside,  Gen.  Ambrose  E.,  h.  "61 
visits  Brown,   1864,  183,  '68,  260 
Burrage,  Henry  S.,  '61 

The     Philertneniatis     and     the 

United  Brothers,  170-174 
The   College    During   the    Ci^'il 
H^ar,  175-184 
Burrill,  James,  Jr.,  17S8,  72 

"Caduceus"  issued,  253 
Cady,  Joseph,  Steward,  38,  53 

portrait,  54 
Cit'sar  Augustus,  statue,  view,  334 
Camera  Club,  440-442 
Campus 

in  1819,  38 

in  1853,  114 


Back,  view  (1870),  254 

Front,  view,  311,  374,  382,  388, 438 
residence  on,  202,  203 

Middle,  elm  trees  removed,  366, 
view,  220,  /Sd/,  268,  /8/0,  255, 
/go8,  305,  315,  376 
Caswell,  Prof.  Alexis,  '22 

anecdotes  of,  187.  216,  217 

hollow  .square,  235,  236 

personality  ot,  86, 121, 122,225-227 

portrait,  122,  236 
Caswell  Hall,  view,  447 
Catholicism,  271 
Centennial,  1864,  182,  183 
Chace,  Prof.  George  I..  '30 

memories  of,  86,  100,  123 

portrait,  212 
Chairs 

disappearance  from  chapel,  330 
Chapel 

attendance  compulsory  for  faculty 
and  students,  328 

in  University  Hall,  47,  48 

in  Manning  Hall,  328,  329 
interior,  view,  /S/^,  302 
Chase,  Justice  Salmon  P. 

at  centennial,  182,  1S3 
Chemical  Laboratory 

in  R.  I.  Hall,  188 
Church  attendance 

compulsory,  97 
Civil  War 

college  during,  175-184 
Clarke,  Benjamin  F..  '63 

The  Passing  of  the  A  ncient  1 1  'ell- 
Curb,  200,  201 

anecdotes  of,  339,  414,  415 

portrait,  462 
Class  of 

17S8,  72 

^835,  58 

1S61,  expelled,  194-199 

iSyo,  248,  baseball  team,  portrait, 

251 
iSyi,  265-271 

^SyS,  335-337 
1879,  350-355 
1881,  portrait,  365 
i8gi,  portrait,  441 
Classroom  Memories,  390-396 
Cloistered  Life  of  the  Early  Forties 
(Albert  Harkness,  "42),  68  ^  "I 
College  and   Toii'n   in    i8ig  (8.  B. 

Shaw,  '19)  38,39 
College   Buildings   in    Other   Days 
(Anthony  McCabe),  307-333 


Mem 


ones  0 


of  Bro 


wn 


489 


ColU'i^c    ]hiil(iiiii^s   ill    Other  Days 
— Continued 

in  '60,  202 

in  '70,  249 
Co/let^f  During  the  Ch'il  War  (H. 

S.  Burra^e,  '61),  175-1S4 
College  Hill,  view,  206 
College      Pranks     in      the     Early 
Twenties  (C.  B.  Peck,  "64), 
46-48 
College  Street  in  1873 

view,  297 
Coinnienceinent  in  the  Olden  Time, 

9-19 
Commencement 

conferring  of  degrees,  16 

date  of.  162 

dinner,  16.  205 

a  general  festival,  9.  10 

illumination  at,  1 1 

••  Literary  Cadet"  on,  49-52 

military  escort  at,  13,  14 

parts,  allotment  of,  25-29 

procession,  69 

programme,  14,  15 

revelry  and  disorder  at,  51,  52 
Commons  Hall,  91,  30S 
Comstock,  Richard  B.,  '76 

ll'hen    Dr.    Robinson    Came    to 
Brown,  301-303 
Congdon,  Charles  T.,  h.  '79 

/;/   the  Days  of    Way  land  and 
Elton,  61-67 
Cow 

in  Hope  College,  370-373 

Pres.  Wayland's  in  U.  H.,  57 
Cox,  Samuel  S.  ("  Sunset'"),  '46 

reminiscences  of,  77-82 
Crew,  ist  at  Brown,  272,  273 

187 1  (view),  277 

1873,  personnel,  280 

class  crew,  1874  (view),  281 

class  crew,  1873  (view),  279 
Curriculum,  63 
Curtis,  George  William,  h.  '54 

Memories  of  Brown,  69-76 

oration  at  centennial,  183 
Cutler.  Edward  H.,  '57 

Garb  and  Customs  of  Half  a  Cen- 
tury Ago,  1 1 3- 1 1 6 

Davis,  Prof.  Nathaniel  F.,  '70,  345 

Debating,  89,  90 

Degrees,  221,  222 

"  Deluge  ■'  The,  31S,  319 

Denison,  John  L.,  h.  '55 


J'ainting  the   President's  Horse, 
108-1 10 
De  Wolf,  James  A..  '61 

The  Orii^in  of". Alma  Mater"  185, 
186 
Dexter,  Andrew,  Jr.,  1798 

correspondence  with  William  K. 
Green,  23,  24 
Dexter,  Edwin  G.,  '91 
Hope  College  Twenty  ]  ears  Ago, 

440-443 
Dexter  Training  Ground 

class  contests  at,  367 
Diman,  Prof.  J.  Lewis,  '51 

anecdotes  of,  348,  349 

Catholicism  of,  271 

memories  of,  285-287 

portrait,  286,  299 
Disagreement    between     president 
and  students,  32-34,  353-355 

newspaper  notoriety,  353,  354 
Discipline,  61.  62 
Dormitories,  life  in,  31,  32 

sanitary   conditions   in,  203,  204, 
267,  323 

visited  by  faculty,  65,  66 
Douglas,  Rev.  William,  "39,  Regis- 
trar 

memories   of,    261,   262,    298-300 

portrait,  230 

quarters  in  U.  H.,  316 
Dress  in  the  fifties,  113 
Ducking,   103 
Duel,  The 

cause  of,  140,  141 

interference  of  Rev.   L.  W.  Ban- 
croft in,  141,  142 

investigation   by    Mass.   authori- 
ties, 145-149 

publicity  in  press,  144,  145 
Duncan,  Samuel,  '60 

smoked  out,  137-139 
Dunn,  Prof.  Robinson  P. ,'43 

memories  of,  122,  227 

portrait,  118 
Dunwell,  James  P.,  '34 

The  "  Tallow   Candle   Ilhiinina- 
tioti^^  55,  56 
Dyer,  Gov.  Elisha,  h.  '98,  i8i 


East  Side  in   1819,  38,  39 
Eaton,  Amasa  M.,  '61 
Random    Recollections    of    1S61, 
187-189 
Elective  Card,  Bogus,  397-400 


490 


Mi 


6772 ones  0 


ofB 


rown 


Elective    system    introduced,    115, 

116 
Elliott,  Lemuel  H.,  Registrar 

portrait,  103 

memories  of,  308 
Elton,  Prof.  Romeo,  '13 

memories,  64-66 

"  pickaback,'"  93 
Ely,  Mrs.  Susan  B. 

Essay  Burning  in  iSji,  53,  54 
Engineering  building 

(view),  459 
E^say  Burning  in  iSji 

(Mrs.  Susan  B.  Ely),  53,  54 
Everett,    Edward,  visit   to  Brown, 

loi,  163 
Examinations 

entrance,  293,  294 

honor  system  in,  99,  418 

oral.  269 
Exhibitions     in     tlie     Old     Town 
House.  35-37 

see  Junior  exhibitions 
Expenses,  college,  in  1788,  72 

Faculty 

in  1845,  S3-92 

in  the  JO V,  117-120,  121-124,  160- 
162 

in  the  60' s^  209-220,  221-230 

in  iSyo^  248-249,  294-297 

see  also  names  of  professors 
Federal     Adelphi,    at     commence- 
ment, 18 
Faunce,  Pres.  W.  H.  P.,  'So 

Reminiscences.,  356^359 

Romance       Department      under 
Gates,  360 

portrait,  358 
Ferguson,  Robert  H.  '84 

Classroom  memories,  392,  393 
Firemen.  FigJit  ivit/i,  iSgg,  446-453 
First  Baptist  meeting-house 

view  (1870),  252 

view,  322 
Flag  Raising,  1S61.  177,  178 
Football,    interclass,    90,    232, 367, 

437-439 
Foster,  William  E.,  '73 

Three  Immortals.  285-291 
Fourth   of   July   celebration,    1819, 

41,42 
Fraternities,  252,  435,436 

Gammell,  Prof.  William,  "31 
memories  of,  85,  86,  123 


portrait,  222 
Gaib  and  Customs  of  Half  a  Cen- 
tury  Ago   (E.    H.   Cutler,  '57), 
1 1 3-1 16 
Gates,  Charles  H.,  Instructor,  360 
Gates,  The  John  Nicholas  Brown, 

view,  466 
Gordon,  Adoniram  J.,  '60,  137-139 
Governors,  New  England,  at  Com- 
mencement, 181,  182 
Granger,  William  Smith,  "54 
Student   Pranks  in   the    Fifties. 
102-106 
Greek,  at  morning  prayers,  46,  47 
Green,    John,  Jr.,    correspondence 
with  William  E.  Green,  22,  23, 

29.  30 
Green,     Meltiah,     correspondence 

with  William  E.  Green,  20 
Green,  Theodore  F.,  '87 

Life  at  R.  I .  College  in  the  Eigh- 
tee/ith  Century,  20-34 
Green,  Timothy,  letter  to  William 

E.  Green,  22 
Green,  William  E.,  1798 
correspondence  with 

Andrew  Dexter,  Jr.,  23,  24 

John  Green,  Jr.,  22,  23,  29,  30 

Meltiah  Green,  29 

Timothy  Green,  22 

Moses  Miller,  Jr.,  31-34 

James  Tallmadge,  24,  25-28,  31 

John  Whipple,  24,  25 

R.  H.  Williams,  28,  29 
Greene,  Albert  G.,  1820 

portrait,  39 
Greene,  Prof.  George  W^,  h.  '2,2, 

memories  of,  84,  85 
Greene,  Jerome  B.,  '90 

Rushes.  Fires  and  Signs,  424-429 
Greene.  Prof.  Samuel  S.,  '37 

anecdotes  of,  218,  219,  296 

interest  in  athletics,  366,  367 

portrait,  1 17 
Greene,  Warren  E.,  '98 

Recollections  of  a  "  Super ^'  454- 
462 
Guild,  Reuben  A.,  '47,  Librarian 

memories  of  124,  416.  417 

portrait,  416 
Gymnasium,  361-363 

Hackett,  Prof.  Horatio  B.,  63,  64 
Harkness,  Prof.  Albert,  '42 

TJie  Cloistered  Life  if  the  Early 
Forties,  68 


Memories  of  Brown 


49' 


Ilarkness,  Prof.  All)ert.  "42  —  Con- 
tinued 

anecdotes  of,  209.  414 

as  a  teacher,  223,  224 

portrait.  412 
Harvard  University 

defeated  in  baseball  79,  363,  364 

in  intercollegiate  races,  272-2S4 
Hay,  John,  "3S 

The  A  ngell  Cradle^  167 

as  a  parodist   of   Emerson,  135, 

'36 

centennial  ode,  206 

Lincoln's  inaugural,  176 

reminiscences  of.  151-155 

portraits,  151,  i  53 
Hazing,  191.  325,  326 

reform  in  methods  of,  194,  195 
High  Old  Times  at  Coinmeticement. 

49-52 
Hill,  Prof.  Nathaniel  P., '56 

portrait.  119.  155 
Hobigand,  Theodore  M.,  Instructor 

portrait,  226 
Holmes,  Oliver  Wendell 

reads  poem  at  Brown,  71,  72 
Hope  College 

anecdotes  of,  440-443 

gas  light  association.  254,  255 

renovated,  326,  327 

sanitary  conditions  in,    250.  251, 

. 3-3~3-7 
view,  250,  317 
Hoppin,  William  W.,  '61 
Memories  Light  and  Tender,  1 90- 

193 
Horse,  Pres.  Messers.  pamted,  48 

Pres.Wayland"s.  painted,  108-110 
Howe.  Samuel  Gridley,  1821 

characteristics,  43,  44 

personality,  45 

Illumination,  candle,  11,  55.  56 
Initiation  into  the  "  Phils  '' 

(T.  W.  Bicknell,  '60),  168,  169 

Jenks,  Prof.  John  W.  P.,  "38 

memories  of,  332,  333 

portrait,  394 
Jewett.  Prof.  Charles  C.  '35 

portrait.  84 
John,  the  appleman,  300 

portrait,  383 
Joslin,  William  C,  '76 

Pres.  Robinson  on  the  Rush  Line, 
304,  305 


Judson.  Elnathan,  '59,  172-174 
Junior  Burials.  /S/j-'j^g 

(S.  W.  Abbott,  "58'),  125-132 
Junior  exhibitions,  253,  270 
mock  programmes,  270,  271 

Keen,  William  W..  '59 
Brown  at  the  Close  0/ the  P(fties, 

160-164 
The  A ngell  Cradle,  165,  166 
Kneass,  Harry  W.,  second  in  duel, 
140-150 

Ladd  Observatory 

(view),  455 
Latin 

salutatory  address  in,  15,  51.  205, 
401-403 
"  Lauriger  Horatius  " 

anecdote,  305 
Laws,  Martin  L.,  "64 

anecdote  of,  217,  218 
Lee's  Surrender 

celebration,  183 
Leonard,  Rev.  David,  1792,  151 
"  Liber  Brunensis."  first  published. 

252 
Library,  John  Carter  Brown, 

view,  338,  451,  466 
Library,  University, 

description  of,  297,  298 

in  Manning  Hall,  160 

open  shelves  in,  124 

view  of,  in  Manning  Hall,  320 
Lincoln,  Abraham 

assassination  of,  183 

Pres.  Wayland's  address  on,  183, 
184 

visits  Providence,  188 
Lincoln,  Prof.  John  L.,  '36 

anecdotes  of,   83,    too,    loi,   191, 
192,  224,  225,  389,  390,  413,  414 

as  a  teacher,  123,  124,  289-291 

portrait,  123,  290 
Lincoln  Field,  366,  367 
Literary  discussion 

interest  in,  91 
Lockup,  Sayles  Hall,  367-369 

poem  on,  369,  370 
Lothrop,  George  V.  N.,  '38,  73 
Lyman  Gymnasium 

view.  470 

McCabe,  Anthony 
Anecdotes  of  the  Faculty  in  Dr. 
Robinson's  Time,  409-419 


492 


Memories  of  Brown 


McCabe,  Anthony  —  Continued 
Ca/npus  Events  in  the  Eighties, 

366-384 
College  Buildings  in  Other  Days, 

307-333 

portrait,  309 
McDonald,  William,  '95 

President  Andrews  as  seen  by  the 
Brown  Men  of  his  Time.  463- 
484 
Magill,  Edward  H.,  '52 

Memories  of  Brown.  96-101 

portrait,  97 
Mann,  Horace,  '19 

reminiscences  of,  41,  42 

statue,  view,  40 
Manning,  Prof.  Henry  P.,  '83 

classroom  memories,  390 
Manning,  Pres.  James 

portrait,  17 
Manning  Hall 

3?7-330 

view,  214,  386 
Marcus  Aurelius,  statue 

portrait,  482 
Marine  Artillery,  178,  237 
Marryini^  before   Graduation    (W. 

P.  Bartlett,  "78) 

339-340 
Marsh.  Edward  S.,  '79 
Seventy-nine's  Page  of  Histoiy. 

350-355     , 
Marston  Held  House, 

view,  405 
Maxcy,  Pres.  Jonathan,  1787 

anecdotes  of,  24,  25 

portrait,  19 

treaty  of  amity,  29,  30 
Messer.  Pres.  Asa.  1790 

memories  of,  29,  70,  71, 

portrait,  47 
Metcalf,  Robert  B.,  70 

The  Water  Procession,  245-247 
Miller,  Moses,  Jr.,  1800 

correspondence  with  William  E. 
Green,  31-34 
Munro,  Walter  L..  '79 

Devolution  of  the   Bonfire.  341- 

347 

Dimanesque.  348,  349 

President  Robinson  and  the  Vale- 
dictorian of'yy.  306 
Munro,  Wilfred  H.,  '70 

///  the  Days  of  Seventy.  248-255 

Nelson,  Aaron  H.,  '58 


Smoking  out  in  18^6.  137-139 
The  Duel,  140-150 
Second  in  duel,  140 

Ode,  Centennial 

205 
Olney,  Richard,  '56 

162 
"Oudens" 

252 

Pabodie,  William  H.,  "55 
A  Elagrant  Failing.  107 
Packard,  Prof.  Alpheus  S. 

431,  432 
Pamtnii^  the  President's  Horse  (J. 

L.  Denison,  '55),  108-110 
Painting  numerals 

3Si-3«3 
Palmer,  Henry  R.,  '90 

Brown  in  the  Later  Eighties.  430- 
436 

How   ^84   J  loomed  a  Professor, 
404,  405 
"  Pandemonium  " 

103,  104 
Parsons,  Prof.  Charles  W..  h.  '48 

portrait,  228 
Payne,  Abraham,  "40 

73.  74 
Peck,  George  B.,  '64 

College    Pranks    in    the    Early 
Twenties.  46-48 

The  Faculty  in  the  Sixties.  209-220 
Peirce,  Prof.  John,  "56 

portrait,  224 
Pendleton,  Charles  H.,  '78 

Brilliant  Seventy-eight.  335-337 
Perce,  Warren  R.,  "65 

The  Beginnings   of  Baseball  at 
Brown.  232-234 

The  Hollow  Square.  235,  236 

The  Tale  of  the  Bonnet.  237-244 
Perry,  Marsden  J. 

restoration  of  U.  H.,  321 
Philermenian  Society 

electioneering,  89,  90 

initiation  into,  168,  169,  217,  218 

"  rebellion,"'  105,  106 

rivalry    with    United     Brothers, 
170-174 
Porter,  Prof.  John 

105 
Portraits  in  R.  I.  Hall 
331 


Mi 


em  ones 


o/B 


rown 


493 


Pratt.  Daniel 

261,  262 
President's  House 

view  (iSoo),  15 
Princeton  University 

defeated  by  Brown  in   baseball, 

453 
Prospect  Street,  in  1S19,  39 

view,  402 
Providence 

view  in  (1S09),  12 

view  in  (1S20),  4S 

view  from  U.  H.,  303 

view  from  north,  (1S49),  S7 

India  Point,  view,  (1837),  64 
Providence  River 

view,  (1873),  293 
Pump,  college 

portrait,  443 
Putnam  Phalanx 

visit  to  Providence,  189 

Race,  3d  intercollegiate,  Brown  in 

272-274 
Randall,  Prof.  Otis  E.,  '84 

classroom  memories,  393-395 
Recitation 

method  of,  89,  97,  98 
Reeves,  John 

3^^3 

portrait,  384 
R  -giment.  First  R.  I.,  178,  179 

Tenth  R.  I.,  181 
Renaud,  Alphonse,  Instructor 

209-211,  233 
"Revolution,"'  March  13,  1800,32- 

34 
Rhode   Islattd  College  in  the  18 th 

Century  (T.  F.  Green,  '87),  20-34 
Rhode  Island  Hall 

202 
Riclimond,  J.  Lee,  '80 

Beating  Harvard  and    Yale  in 

'79-  .361-365 
Ridin<r  a   Processor  ''  Pickaback." 

(W!  B.  Weeden,  h.  '75).  93 
Robinson,  Pres.  Ezekiel  G.,  '38 

anecdotes  of,  302,  303,  304,  306, 

359.  3^7-3H  390.  392,  410-413 
baccalaureate  sermon,  409 
ideas  on  discipline,  301,302 
memories,  287-289 
philosophy.  385-387 
portrait,  288 
Rockefeller  Hall 
view,  428 


Rogers,  Rev.  William.  1769 

jiortrait,  21 
Rooms 

visited  by  professors,  105 
Rushes,  class 

'jg-So  rush,  350-352 

^Sg-go  rush,  424-426 

Pres.  Robinson  in,  425,  426,  304, 

305 
Rushes,   Fires    and   Signs    (J.    B. 
Cireene,  '90),  424-429 

Salary  of  Professors 

116 
Salutatory  in  Latin 

401-403 
Sayles  Gymnasium  (Women's  Col- 
lege) 

view,  436 
Sayles  Memorial  Hall 

lockup,  367-370 

view,  380,  451,  470 
Sears.  Pres.  Barnas,  "25 

historical  discourse  at  centennial 
205    _ 

memories  of,  121.  228-230 

portrait.  210 
Secret  Societies 

192 
Seekonk  River 

272 
Servants,  college 

1 88 1,  view,  340 

1890,  view,  347 
"  Seventeen-forty-and-a-half  "  (rac- 
ing shell) 
276,  277 
Shaw,  Samuel  B.,  1819 

College  and  Town  in  iSig 

.38,  39 
Sheridan,  Gen.  Philip  H. 

visits  Brown,  260 
Signs  removed,  427,  428 
Slater  Hall 

view  313,  399 
Slavery,  attitude  towards 

59,  60 
Smith,  Goldwin,  h.  64 

at  centennial,  182,  20; 
"Smoking  Out"    in    iSj6   (A.    H. 

Nelson,  "58),  137-139 
Societies 

57,  58 
Sprague,  Gov.  \\  illiam.  ii.  61 
interest  in  rowing,  278 


494 


Memories  of  Brown 


Sprague  Hall 

location,  314 

blown  up,  357 
Sgua/r,  The  Hoi Un,'  (W.R.Perce, 

'65) 

Stewart,  William  H. 

Story   of  Dr.    IWiy land's    Cow, 
III,  112 
Stine.s.s,  John  H.,  '61 

A  Class  Expelled.  194-199 
Stone,  William  L., '58 

John  Hay.  /SjS.  1 51-155 

Pres.    Way  land  as  Seen  by  His 
Nephew.  1 56- 1 59 
"  Student  Franks  in  the  Fifties  "' 

(W.  S.  Granger,  '54),  102-106 
Student  life 

32-34,  68,  269 
"  Suping'" 

454-462 
Swift,  Augustus  T.,  "89 

Bell  and  Bonfire.  420-42  3 


"  Taconey  " 

237 
Tallmadge,  James,  1798 

correspondence     with     W.     E. 
Green,  24,  25,  26,  27,  28,  31 
The  ••  Tallow  Candle  Illiiinination  " 

(J.  P.  Dunwell.  -34),  55,  5^ 
Tetlow,  John,  '64 

More  about  the  Faculty  in   the 
Sixties  221-230 
Theatre 

attendance  forbidden.  104,  105 
Thayer,  Gen.  John  M.,  "41 

182 
Thompson,  Harry  L.,  "96 

A  Conflict  of  Jurisdictions.,  444, 445 
Three  Immortals  (W.   E.    Foster, 

■73).  285-291 
Thurber,  Samuel,  "58 

More  about  the  Faculty  in  the 
Fifties.  1 21-124 
Ticknor,  Howard  M.,  Instructor 

433~435 
Town  House 

view,  36 
Transparencies 

at  burials,  132 
"Traveller,  Great  American" 

see  Pratt,  Daniel 
"  Treaty  of  Amity,"  1798 

29,  30 


Trees 
class,  204 

United  Brothers  Society 

electioneering,  89 

initiation  into,  168,  169 

rivals   of  the    Philermenian  So- 
ciety, 170-174 
University  Cadets 

179,  180,  238 
University  Grammar  School 

view,  378 
University  Hall 

arrangement  of  rooms,  320,  321 

bomb  in,  315,  316 

classroom  furniture,  309,  310 

corridors  in,  115 

odor  and  noise  in,  316-318 

renovation,  '^J,  321 

restoration,  'oj.  321 

sketch  of,  307-322 

students'  rooms,  310-313 

view,  iSoo.   15:  iSjo.  253:  igo8. 

313 
water  supply,  313 
Upton.  Charles  R.,  '84 

The  Bogus  Elective  Card.  397,  400 

Van  Wickle  Gates 
view,  372 

in  winter,  478 

Watch  House 

190 
Water  Procession 

245-247 
l\  'ater  Supply.  College  in  the  Fifties 

(S.  W.  Abbott,  '58),  133,  134 
Wayland,  Pres.  Francis 

as  an  orator,  157-159,  163,  164 

as   seen  by  his  nephew    (W.  L. 
Stone),  156-159 

bust  hung  in  effigy,  106 

characteristics,  107 

discipline,  61-63 

elective  system,  115,  116 

humor,  93,  157 

memories  of,  86,  87,  94,  95,  96-99 

personal  habits,  107,  114 

portrait,  57,  62 

severity,  117,  156,  157 
Wayland,  Rev.  Heman  L.,  '49,  88 
Weeden,  William  B.,  h.  '75 

Ridinga  Professor'  '■Pickaback,'^()T, 
Well-curb 

200,  201 


M. 


emones  o, 


B 


rown 


495 


Wells,  college 

133. '341245-246,249,250,256-258, 
300 

South  well,  view,  257 
Wheaton,  Henry,  1S02 

portrait,  150 
Wheeler,  Benjamin  I.,  '75 

First  Impressions  of  Brown.  292- 
300 
Whipple,  Col.  John 

correspondence  with  W.E.  Green, 
24,  25 
Wickett,  Richard  K.,  90 

classroom  memories,  395 
Williams,  Prof.  Alonzo,  '70 

anecdote,  395,  396 

portrait,  396 


Williams,  Charles  P.,  '5S 

in  duel,  140 
Williams,  James  A.,  '90 

The  Fooibail  Rush,  437-439 

Classroom  memories.  395,396 
Williams,  Rodolphus  H.,  1798 

correspondence  with  William  E. 
Green,  28,  29 
Wilson  Hall 

view,  451 

Yale  University 
defeated  by  Brown  in  baseball, 

364,  365  ,       .  , 

commencement    compared    with 
Brown's 
31 


OF   THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


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STAMPED  BELOW 

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